The Apprentice reject Anita Shah confessed she was “gutted” to be fired after the first task of the series – but backed one of the female contestants to win the coveted contract with Sir Alan Sugar.
Former lawyer Anita Shah, aged 35, from Edgbaston, was booted off The Apprentice last night after a boardroom showdown with team manager Mona Lewis and fellow team mate Debra Barr.
The women’s team, which was called Ignite, were beaten by the men’s team, Empire, after they were challenged to make as much money as possible by starting up a cleaning company.
Ignite made a profit of £160 but Empire beat them with a total profit of £239.
Firing Shah, Sir Alan Sugar said: “My gut instinct is telling me something.
“Anita, you put yourself forward as one of Britain’s best business prospects.
“You showed no initiative in spotting that you were going for a disaster and on that basis, Anita, you’re fired!”
But Ms Shah has vowed not to fade into obscurity but rather slip unnoticed into her dream job in communications and corporate affairs.
Ms Shah said: “I didn’t get on the show so I could make myself famous or gain notoriety. I was there to win and if I had the chance to do it all again I wouldn’t change a thing.
“I believe being fair and acting with integrity is definitely the way you need to work to be successful. That is what I did and I believe it was the right way to go.
“I’m gutted to be out of the show, of course I am. But life goes on.”
Ms Shah, whose father used to work as a haematologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, is now keeping her cards close to her chest about her future. She said: “The world is my oyster now, but who knows, I may come back to Birmingham for my dream job.
“The experience of The Apprentice was amazing, completely unique, and hopefully it will put me in a good position for the future.
“When it comes down to my tip for the top I’m avoiding names. But let’s just say I’m backing the women contestants who have the same business ethics as I do.”
Last night’s episode on BBC1 got off to a bizarre start when Sir Alan revealed that one contestant had “bottled it” before the cameras had even started rolling.
The remaining hopefuls include an award-winning restaurant owner, an aristocrat, a 21-year-old entrepreneur, an ex-professional footballer and a chess champion.
Two international candidates hope to eclipse their British counterparts in the competition this year.
One is a New Yorker who has performed Mozart in Carnegie Hall and the other is a Tanzanian beauty queen.
