The 19th series of is finally on our screens, and already, the show has provided plenty of drama as 18 new candidates battle it out to become Lord Sugar’s next business partner.
Over the years, plenty of fantastic contestants have achieved incredible businesses. One former finalist who almost won the show in 2018 made history as the youngest-ever candidate to appear on the series.
Speaking exclusively to Express Online, Camilla Ainsworth has lifted the lid on her experience and unveiled some hidden behind-the-scenes secrets – including strict rules such as no discussions about decisions off-camera.
When asked if all the candidates wake up at 4am, she replied, “That’s completely true. What makes 4am worse is that you don’t know when they’ll wake you up.
“So from each day to each day, one day it might be 4, the next it might be 5. Then they might treat you for a lie-in, and it’s 6am, but you don’t know when they’ll wake you up.”
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Camilla was the youngest-ever finalist on The Apprentice in 2018 (Image: BBC)
“It’s just when the cameras are in your face, and then they say, ‘You’ve got 20 minutes to get ready.’ It’s like the most jam-packed day you could possibly imagine.”
She added: “From getting mic’d up, getting ready, and then you’re out the door, and then you sometimes don’t get back till 10 or 11 o’clock because it’s too late.
“It does make you tired, but I think that’s when you probably make better TV because you’re making more mistakes. Although it never felt like they were keeping us out on purpose, it was just genuinely that the days were so long.”
Camilla also disclosed that there is a strict relationship ban in the candidate house and that contestants are forbidden from speaking about making decisions off-camera.
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Lord Sugar has been fronting The Apprentice for 19 years (Image: BBC)
She revealed: “Obviously, you can’t make decisions off-camera because then if you speak about them on camera, it makes no sense.
“It’s to make it a better experience for the audience, which, at the time, you find so annoying because you end up just talking about the weather. They were so strict, even when you’re going to sleep, they’re making sure there’s no whispering or talking.”
Camilla was the runner-up in her series in 2018, narrowly losing out to Sian Gabbidon, who owns a swimwear brand. Camilla was hoping Lord Sugar would invest in her nut milk brand.
The Apprentice can be streamed on iPlayer.