The Apprentice winner Marnie Swindells calls interview stage grilling 'exaggerated'
'The Apprentice' winner Marnie Swindells has said Lord Sugar's trusted business partners' grilling in the interviews stage of the BBC One reality show is "exaggerated" to make good TV.
'The Apprentice' winner Marnie Swindells claims the show's famed interview process is "exaggerated" to make good TV.
The 31-year-old Bronx Gym owner - who won the BBC One reality show's £250,000 investment prize in 2023 - revealed that Lord Alan Sugar's trusted advisers Linda Plant, Claude Littner and Mike Soutar are "almost playing characters" as they rip the candidates' business plans to shreds in arguably the most gruelling task of the 12-week process to find the entrepreneur's next business partner.
Speaking on behalf of Prime Casino, Marnie admitted: "A lot of this grilling part is exaggerated.
"They are almost playing characters, firstly to ensure Lord Sugar gets the best business partner, but also to make good TV."
Marnie - who was interviewed by Baroness Karren Brady, Claude, Mike and Linda on the reality show - did not see their "20-25-minute" chat "as a critique or an attack", but just an opportunity to show off and "pad out this vision that I put down" in her business plan and believes her law background gave her an advantage in handling the pressure of the "notoriously hard" part of the show.
Marnie added: "The interviews are notoriously hard, but I feel like my background in law, a career where I was put in the hot seat a lot, gave me some advantage in handling the pressure."
The TV star was heartbroken when she saw her fellow female final five members - Rochelle Raye Anthony, Victoria Goulbourne, Megan Hornby and Dani Donovan - bawling after exiting the interview rooms, but stressed that being scrutinised under pressure is key to discovering if a candidate is capable of winning the competition.
Marnie said: "Part of the interview process is just a test of character. It is similar to the tasks.
"[Lord Sugar] doesn’t actually care who makes the most profit or the substance of the task, he is trying to find the substance of the person.
"Similarly, the interview isn’t really about the content of the business plan, but more about how you handle the pressure of that environment."
The penultimate episode of the 2025 series - which airs on Thursday (10.04.25) - will see Amber-Rose Badrudin, Anisa Khan, Chisola Chitambala, Dean Franklin and Jordan Dargan go face-to-face with the interviewers, and Marnie has stressed for them not to go in displaying fear because "they will attack it".
She advised: "Be confident, walk into each interview room like you own it. That is what I focused on...
"With the calibre of people that are interviewing you, they can sense the fear, and they will attack it.
"So walk in like nothing can phase you.
"Set your own tone for how you want the world to see you."
'The Apprentice' continues on April 10 at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
