The Apprentice's Leeds winner Sian Gabbidon says boardroom experience was 'worse than it looks'

Sian Gabbidon, 30, was on series 14 of the BBC show which aired in 2018 - and won the £250,000 investment. Her winning swimwear brand has since morphed into an online loungewear brand - promoted by celebrities such as Molly Mae, Perrie Edwards and Addison Rae. The businesswoman and motivational speaker, who lives on the outskirts of Leeds, has since cut ties with Lord Sugar - but described her experience as "life changing".

Speaking as the latest series of the show launched last week, Sian, owner of SNME The Label, said: "It's been crazy since being on the show - it seems like yesterday, but also so long ago. I grew so much on the show because there are so many situations outside of your comfort zone, but you learn so much.

"In the end, I went from working full time with a small business on the side, to nine million people watching you win a £250k investment. I'm glad I went on the show - it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I'd do it all the same again."

West Yorkshire bridal shop owner Shannon Martin is currently appearing in the new series of The Apprentice, and found herself in the losing team during the first episode, which aired last Thursday. Sian recalled first getting on the show - and realising how tough each task actually is.

She said: "I can now watch back the tasks and laugh but when I first won it, I couldn't do that because because I remembered how hard it was. At times you're sleep deprived, working really long days, and getting up super early in the morning.

"We once did a baking task and got up about 4am or something stupid. When you're doing your interviews about the task afterwards, you're so knackered you don’t even know what you’re saying."

One task which involved creating a pair of women's designer shoes, which she project managed and ultimately led her team to victory. But recalling the pressure, she added: "I made quite a lot of decisions so I knew if it didn’t work, I would be the one going home no question."

She confessed she felt that "the trainer was not great" - but they won anyway. She added: "I actually hated the task, but I loved the outcome when we did win. After that I felt a bit more confident."

Sian ended up being brought back into the boardroom only once following a lost task - although she described the experience as "worse than it looks on TV." She explained while a whole episode only lasts an hour, board room sessions could be several hours long. They can be "very intense" and although over the weeks the candidates became close, in the board room the goal would always be to save yourself.

She said: "You have to be brutal and tear others down even if you're friends. You're constantly wondering what they're about to say about you, and what you're going to have to say back."

She recalled the final as the "scariest thing I've ever done" but would have "still been proud" if she had been runner-up. Sian and Lord Sugar became business partners and remained working together following the show until March last year.

It was announced that they had parted ways and Lord Sugar's role as a director of the company was terminated, according to Companies House.But speaking on the big move, Sian said it was agreed "amicably" to give her a chance to "do her own thing".

She said: "My business is my baby, so I felt I needed to go on and continue my journey on my own. I was very thankful for the investment but I became ready to do my own thing."

Now going it alone in the business world, she has shared her top tips for how to thrive - and get where you want to be without burning out. Her first tip is to "surround yourself with a strong support system" - whether that's friends, family or a partner.

She said: "Business is hard and you need people around you who get it. Even when I was on the show, we knew it was a competition but we were also each others' support systems."

She also warned that if you want to thrive in the business world, you can't shoot straight for the moon. In order to achieve your long term goals, you need to "realistic, measurable goals and create clear strategies to achieve them."

Sian explained: "At the start of your journey you want the world. That can be your goal, but you need a real plan. There's an element of winging it in the early days, but as you progress, you start to meet the right people and the plan forms."

Another tip she shared was to "work smart over working hard" - an important one to prevent getting burnt out. She explained that at the start, when your business is still small and you're trying to grow from the roots, it can be tough to not overwork yourself.

Sian said: "When you're on the route of small-scale to large, you instantly dedicate your life to your business. You're so passionate that you can end up nearly killing yourself with such long hours. You have to learn what works, and do more of that - rather than working day and night to do everything."