Apprentice’s Jade English opens up about her affair with winner James White for first time – after not returning to final show to help him
THE Apprentice's Jade English has opened up about her affair with the series winner James White - explaining how it put an end to her relationship of three years.
In a long post on her site, the blonde businesswoman, 25, explained how she and James, 26, built on their "genuine connection" to become "extremely close" - despite the fact he was engaged to someone else.
Former PR girl Jade, who left the series in Week 10, split from her boyfriend of three years Joel after romance blossomed between her and James in the Apprentice house in London.
Now Jade, who did not return for the final episode of The Apprentice to help James, has sought to explain and justify her actions - claiming that she and boyfriend Joel split as they "were stopping each other growing as individuals".
In a post called, she writes: "As the weeks progressed, the different friendship groups became clearer and it was apparent that James and I had a lot in common.
"We were both competitive, into our fitness and I think we just had a genuine connection and felt that we could rely on each other in the house.
"We used to go outside and play bat and ball and stay up talking about how the world has no limits. It was inspiring to be around someone else who had as much ambition and vision in life as I do."
She goes on: "The process means that you are away from your family and friends for a long period of time and you are not allowed to have any contact with the outside world.
"This means that the bonds you build up in the house are amplified as you are thrown together 24/7 and James and I became extremely close friends.
"After every task, we would return to the house and sit and chat about life, the Universe and everything," she adds.
"It’s amazing how raw and stripped back from everything you become when you’re away from everyday life."
Later, she comes to write about why she felt she needed to break up with Joel as soon as she was eliminated from the BBC programme.
She writes: "I returned home to where my partner and I lived. I just knew I was different and so did my partner.
"I hadn’t changed, but my mentality certainly had. I finally fully believed in myself and knew I had the courage to be on my own and make my business a success and we were stopping each other from growing as individuals.
"I finally bit the bullet and made the hard decision to move out after all of our years together," she concludes.
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News of Jade and James' liaison hit back at the end of September, with a TV insider telling The Sun: "Tension had been building between James and Jade during filming.
“There was clearly an attraction from the beginning. They’re both young and attractive people and they really got along during the process.
"They couldn’t resist getting to know each other that bit better during their time in the house.
"And the pair even shared an intimate clinch in the show’s plush London mansion which houses the contestants.
"This was despite any sexual interaction being banned by producers.
“Afterwards they kept things going for a while, but relations have cooled off between them since filming ended."
James obviously found the affair with Jade got his business juices as he went on to win the series alongside Sarah Lynn - the first time the show's title has ever been shared.
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