The parents of Apprentice star Jana Denzel who dramatically quit the show after making an offensive remark have insisted he is not racist and is ‘proud to be British’.
Cosmetic dentist Dr Denzel is thought to have used the term ‘coloured’ to describe a black person during a task.
But his parents Veluppilai and Rajes Denzel, said their son is not prejudiced and that his comments had been misunderstood.
Before the contestant’s exit was finally shown to millions of viewers in Lord Sugar’s show on BBC One last night, his parents defended their ‘good’ son.
Speaking from their home in Harrow, north London, his mother Rajes told MailOnline: ‘Jana is not racist. We are not against anybody. We brought Jana up – and all our children – to be open-minded.
‘Jana was born here in England and is proud to be British. We are open to everyone from every culture.’
Jana’s father Veluppilai told how his son called him a couple of weeks ago to say that he had quit the hit reality show following the scandal that saw him reprimanded by producers and made to undergo diversity training.
The 71-year-old retired postman explained: ‘He called to say that there had been an issue, but I didn’t really understand.
The Apprentice contestant Jana Denzel (pictured) dramatically quit the show after making an offensive remark
Dr Denzel’s parents Veluppilai (right) and Rajes Denzel (left), say their son is not prejudiced and that his comments had been misunderstood
‘He has been misunderstood, I am sure. He is a good boy. I told him “You worked hard to become a dentist, be a dentist”.’
Veluppilai continued: ‘We are from a different culture and maybe he was misunderstood.
‘But I know he did not mean to cause any offence. That is not who he is.’
Mum Rajes, 61, told how the couple struggled to give their four children – three sons and a daughter – the best upbringing they could, after the family fled their native war-torn Sri Lanka.
She explained: ‘I came to UK in 1983. It was a very difficult in Sri Lanka. I worked in a supermarket in the morning and my husband worked as a postman on the late shift.
‘We barely saw each other but we made sure there was always someone at home for the kids. We are very proud of them.’
A picture of Dr Denzel at his university graduation ceremony is proudly mounted on the wall of the family’s living room, alongside similar photographs of his two brothers.
Veluppilai added: ‘We are very proud of our children. We did all we could for them and they worked hard and made us proud. We are very proud of Jana. Whether he is on the TV or not is not important to us.’
Dr Denzel (bottom left) became the fifth competitor to leave the BBC’s business reality show
Dr Denzel told Lord Sugar in the boardroom that he had decided to leave the programme
Dr Denzel runs a cosmetic dentistry practice in Harley Street and has A-List stars as clients
The Harley Street dentist had been part of a team on the show creating a character for a marketing campaign when he is understood to have used the phrase.
Two women on his team were said to have been particularly upset by the comment, which was reported to show bosses.
Dr Denzel, who has spoken of pride at his Sri Lankan heritage and refugee parents, sat in on talks with producers to ensure he understood the remark was offensive.
The BBC insisted that the departure was not related to the comment, which was not broadcast during the episode.
And Dr Jana said he was leaving because he felt the other contestants wanted to win the £250,000 investment more than him.
Dr Denzel runs a cosmetic dentistry practice in Harley Street, and boasts A-List stars and Grammy award winners as some of his clients.
But last night he became the fifth competitor to leave the show, during week five which saw the candidates create and branding a new chocolate Easter egg, before pitching it to industry buyers.
Dr Denzel had hoped that with Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment, he could expand his business globally.
The candidates had a go this week at creating and branding a new chocolate easter egg
However in the boardroom, he declared ahead of the results: ‘Sorry Lord Sugar, I just wanted to say as well, I’m proud of everyone’s contribution towards this.
‘I know how much some people want it but I’m going to be honest with you, I’m not sure if I want it as bad as them so I think whether we win or lose, I would like to step away from the process.’
Following this it was revealed that his team, Team Parallel, which he led, had lost the task.
Lord Sugar asked once more if Dr Denzel was certain that he wished to leave the process, to which the contestant confirmed that he was.
And Lord Sugar then told him: ‘OK, well look, it’s been a pleasure having you here… you seem like a stand up fellow and I wish you well.’
Speaking more about why he was leaving, Dr Denzel said: ‘I had an incredible experience on the show, but after much deliberation, I realised it wasn’t the right path for me.
‘Regardless of the outcome of the task, I had already made the decision to step away as I didn’t feel it was right for me to continue when there were so many talented candidates who wanted it more than I did.
‘My business and my family have always been my priority, and I wanted to get back to them.
Jana Denzel is pictured right with fellow candidate Liam Snellin during the show
Apprentice contestant Jana Denzel runs a cosmetic dentistry practice in Harley Street
‘I’m very grateful for the experience and I’ll cherish all the brilliant people I’ve met along the way and I’m now looking forward to supporting everyone from the sidelines and focusing on growing my business, which I’m so passionate about.’
Following the show, a spokesperson for The Apprentice told MailOnline: ‘We were made aware of an ill-informed comment made by Jana during the process and action was taken.
‘Whilst we have made it very clear to Jana that his use of language was not acceptable, we are confident there was no ill-intent behind it and the concerns of all parties involved have been addressed and resolved.
‘Jana withdrew from the process for completely unrelated and separate reasons, and he has our full support.’
Two weeks before the episode aired, it was reported on February 13 that a contestant would quit the show – but MailOnline decided against revealing their identity so as not to spoil the show for fans.
A TV source told MailOnline at the time: ‘The Apprentice isn’t for everyone and some of the candidates only realise that once they’re in the process.
‘One contestant this series decided to leave the competition early telling Lord Sugar ‘this isn’t for me.’
‘It came as a total shock in the boardroom – some of the cast now believe the candidate wanted to avoid the potential embarrassment of being fired.
Jana Denzel boasts A-List stars and Grammy Award winners as some of his dental clients
Jana Denzel hoped that with Lord Sugar’s investment, he could take his business global
Dr Denzel is pictured at his birthday celebrations in a photograph from social media
‘They saved Lord Sugar the trouble and simply gave up the chance of becoming his next business partner.’
And a source close to Dr Denzel told MailOnline: ‘Ultimately, they realised that the show wasn’t the right process for them and their fellow candidates wanted it more.
‘Staying in the process wouldn’t have been fair to their competitors as far as they were concerned.
‘They have a very successful business, and they always had one eye on getting back to that. Everyone involved just wishes them the absolute best.’
The Apprentice airs Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.
