Lord Sugar has chosen his Apprentice finalists – as pie shop owner Phil Turner takes on fitness entrepreneur Rachel Woolford in a bid to win the business mogul’s £250,000 investment.
And it’s set to be a close competition after Phil, 37, pitched his family-run company, Turner’s Pies, which has been past down through generations since the 1930s, and Rachel, 27, came in strong with an offering of her fitness boutique North Studio.
The pair have been chosen by Lord Sugar and his aids baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell after undergoing a gruelling 12-week process and Thursday night’s tough interview round, where their proposals were picked apart by business tycoons including Claude Littner.
Father-of-two Phil, who has a disastrous record after losing eight out of 10 tasks, hopes to win over Lord Sugar with his Sussex based pie shops, after saying his ‘biggest inspiration’ in life are his hardworking parents.
As a keen marathon runner, Rachel aims to outperform Phil during the show’s final with her fitness studio, which offers her clients a range of classes from reformer Pilates to yoga.
Lord Sugar has chosen his Apprentice finalists – as pie shop owner Phil Turner takes on fitness entrepreneur Rachel Woolford in a bid to win the business mogul’s £250,000 investment
It’s set to be a close competition after Phil (pictured with wife Theresa) pitched his family-run company, Turner’s Pies, which has been past down through generations since the 1930s
As a keen marathon runner, Rachel aims to outperform Phil during the show’s final with her fitness studio, which offers her clients a range of classes from reformer Pilates to yoga
Phil explained during his interview with Claudine Collins that his parents are his biggest inspiration, saying working with them has taught him to appreciate the sacrifices they have made, which he hopes to pass onto his own two children.
Holding back tears, he said: ‘I definitely think my mum and dad are my biggest inspirations. Standing there in a close environment working day in day out for them for a few years I started to really appreciate how much work they have done and how much they have scarified.
‘My appreciation for them as parents and people went threw the roof, just speaking about this makes me feel warm inside.
‘Family means everything, after having children it really starts to put things into perspective, you think, what am I leaving my children, what legacy can I leave? As I get older, I’m starting to realise that.’
And Phil admits he couldn’t have achieved the success he has today without wife Theresa, who he affectionately nicknames ‘Tree.’
Phil and Theresa were childhood sweethearts after they met in year seven at school and now the couple have been ‘happily married’ for almost 11 years.
He said filming the Apprentice, which sees candidates live in a north London house away from their families and have restrictive contact with the outside world, was the ‘hardest’ two months, especially for Theresa, who managed the businesses in his absence.
Writing on Facebook, Phil, who owns five pie shops, said: ‘For those of you that know me personally, I’m sure you would agree that Tree is by far the better half of our partnership.
Phil has been married to his wife Theresa for 11 years after they met at school in year 7, with the businessman crediting his success to the support of his life partner
Rachel has proven her dedication to fitness by running marathons, completing events in the likes of New York, Chicago and Berlin as well as climbing Kilimanjaro
She aspires to open more fitness studios in northern England, targeting women who aim to stay trim and feel part of a community
Phil and Rachel will face Lord Sugar’s final challenge next week as they pitch their business plans to industry experts in the hope of securing his lucrative investment
The pair were ecstatic after being told they were in the show’s final, narrowly avoiding Lord Sugar’s firing during the penultimate boardroom
‘Giving up her dream job to raise our two amazing children and support me to follow my dreams is something that I sometimes take for granted but will be eternally grateful.
‘Tree and I met in year 7 at school and quickly became friends and partners a few years later. This June, we have been happily married for 11 years. Like every couple, we have our moments, I mean imagine having to put up with me for 20 years…
‘Being away filming for two months last year was one of the hardest things as a family we have ever been through and especially for Tree, as she took on a lot of my responsibilities and had no one to make her laugh.’
Phil faces gym owner Rachel in the final, whose ambition is to franchise her gym brand in northern England.
She was grilled by Claude during her interview, who said her business plan failed to give him any understanding of the money her company is making.
Rachel has proven her dedication to fitness by running marathons, completing events in the likes of New York, Chicago and Berlin as well as climbing Kilimanjaro.
