Alison Hammond has a tense exchange on This Morning as The Apprentice star Phil Turner defends his track record against her comments about his losses

Flo Edwards

Occupation: Recruitment Consultant

Location: London

Hailed for her negotiation tactics throughout the series, consultant Flo Edwards said making it to the final five feels ‘surreal’.

‘Surreal is probably the right word for it,’ she said. ‘I watched The Apprentice growing up and to be in the final five is amazing. I’m just really delighted.’

Of all the tasks during the series, Flo’s favourite was the cheesecake making task – during her sales technique helped her team soar to victory.  

Flo said: ‘It gave me validation as to why I was there and why I was strong enough to be there. I think when I first joined and met all the candidates, I had a little bit of imposter syndrome because I was surrounded by incredible businesspeople.

‘At the time, I didn’t have my own business, so I felt slightly like an underdog. I think that task and the positive reaction to my motivation gave me a lot of external validation as to why I was there. That was my favourite week, it really motivated me for the rest of the process.’

Asked about her business inspiration, Flo credited all the people she is ‘fortunate’ to have worked .and surrounded herself with.

‘It’s not necessarily somebody in a spotlight that already has attention,’ she said. ‘It’s friends, people I’ve grown up with, people I’ve worked with. 

‘People that bring so many enviable aspects and qualities to business that inspire me.’

Flo’s advice for people starting their own business is to find something they are passionate about. She said that for her, making an impact in diversity and inclusion in business is what drives her and she encourages budding entrepreneurs to ‘back’ themselves. 

Dr Paul Midha

Occupation: Owner, Dental Group

Location: Leeds 

The calm and collected contestant, Dr Paul Midha is delighted to be representing the dental community and the Punjabi community in the final five.

‘Sometimes you look back in life and you remember certain moments as being the pinnacle of an achievement that you made and that was one of them for sure,’ the dentist said.

‘I remember when we were in task ten, in the boardroom, and we found out that myself, Phil, Flo, and Tre had made it into the final five by winning that task. I just couldn’t stop smiling and I don’t think I stopped smiling for the next few days.’

Paul hailed his father as being his inspiration, as he came to the UK and started working at a petrol station before moving to textiles and starting his own business from his garage in Bradford. 

He said: ‘What he always taught me was that hard work will beat talent any day of the week. He worked seven days a week, twelve hours a day. 

‘To be able to grow up with someone as inspirational as that, really made me value and appreciate how much graft you have to put in to make things work.’

During the Formula-E task, where the teams had to design a car and brand, Paul was project manager – which as a Formula-1 fan he said was exciting. Despite losing the task, Paul was praised for his ability to turn poor brand around in the team’s favour and convince investors of the vision.

Paul learned during filming that he finds ‘being uncomfortable, comfortable’ and realised he works well in high-pressure situations.

‘When the pressure is on, that’s when I turn up,’ he said. ‘That’s something that I didn’t previously know about myself.’

Phil Turner 

Occupation: Owner, Pie Company

Location: Bognor Regis 

To many The Apprentice fans, Phil Turner’s success in making it to the final five may come as a shock – after the pie maker was on the losing team for nine of ten tasks. 

But tasked with being the project manager in week 10 as his last chance to prove himself, Phil did just that as his team’s vegan cheese was the winning product.

Phil said: ‘I think after the journey I’ve had and so many losses, I feel as if I’ve probably had the toughest route to the final five that maybe any candidate has ever had. I feel really proud of myself.’

The competitor’s parents started a bakery ‘against all odds’ and Phil said their determination to have their own business just the two of them inspired him. 

‘I look up to them as inspirational figures and as aspirational in terms of the hard work, commitment and dedication,’ he said.

Phil’s advice to wannabe business owners is that they need to be prepared to fail, as it builds resilience. He insisted that successful entrepreneurs manage to ‘stick out’ the tough bits and come out fighting. 

His journey throughout the process was a rocky one, but Phil is proud of himself for his ability to bounce back.

He said: ‘I saw other candidates’ reactions and responses to losing tasks, being in the café, being in the final boardroom and I saw it really knocked their confidence. 

‘Having lost nine tasks on the trot, I really came out of the process knowing that I am mentally tough, and I think Lord Sugar could see that regardless of how many times I lost. I was bouncing back with the same enthusiasm, and I was never hiding. I learnt exactly how much adversity I could actually face and that’s something I am extremely proud of.’

Rachel Woolford

Occupation: Boutique Fitness Studio

Location: Leeds 

Fitness entrepreneur Rachel Woolford is looking forward to unveiling her business plan in next week’s interview episode.

In a switch from her other competitors, Rachel draws inspiration from Dragons Den’s Sara Davies – who started her company while a student at the University of York.

‘Firstly, because she’s Northern and secondly, she is the definition of demonstrating you can be kind and be in business,’ Rachel said of her admiration for the dragon.

‘I love watching her because she’s not quick to criticise, she’s open to different ideas and she really encourages young people to be entrepreneurial and at the same time has fun with it.’

Rachel urged upcoming business minds not to enter the industry looking for money at first, but to see it as a work in progress. 

She said: ‘Be prepared for a really difficult first few years, don’t expect it to come easy or to make money straight away. 

‘Be ready to sacrifice a lot of things to be successful.’

Despite losing, Rachel would re-do the Budapest task as she loves entertaining and engaging with customers. 

‘It’s such a shame that we didn’t sell the tickets at a high enough price because had we had done that, I think we would have won,’ she said. ‘The customers on the tour all had such a good time and we had great tips at the end and sadly we didn’t sell enough tickets.’

Tre Lowe

Occupation: Music and Wellness Entrepreneur 

Location: London 

Award-winning producer and songwriter Tre Lowe thought The Apprentice would be ‘a walk in the park’ but insists it was far from easy.

Tre soared throughout the series as his creativity was continually applauded, but the confident entrepreneur ‘knew’ that he would make it to the final five. 

Inspired by his father, who moved from poverty in Nigeria to growing a multi-million pound property portfolio in London, Tre said it was instilled in him to always work extra hard. 

He said: ‘He instilled in me a hard work ethic, the importance of education, and being personally responsible for your success or failure in life in all of his kids. 

‘I was incredibly lucky to have my father, he is a true hero to me.’

Tre was project manager when his team won the Formula-E task and received a record-breaking £38.7million investment, which even shocked Lord Sugar himself.

‘That week had everything,’ he said. ‘First of all – my love of cars meant I had to jump at the opportunity. It was the first time I was project manager, so I had a lot to prove. Two of our strongest members were taken from us, which perhaps made us underdogs, but I absolutely thrive when I am the underdog.’

Tre was commended for his ability to spin bad branding into a positive – which ultimately won the task for the team.

He said: ‘To lead a team, no matter the challenges – like the terrible logo and corporate video – to not only a victory, but a record-breaking victory, that may never be broken.’

Tre encouraged those looking to start a business to find themselves a mentor to help guide them and avoid wasting precious time.  

‘Surround yourself with successful, positive, supportive yet honest people,’ he added. ‘Just take the advice of those you respect and those who have achieved in business already.’