I was on The Apprentice and here’s why I’m grateful I'm NOT Lord Sugar's business partner

Virgin Radio

12 Mar 2024, 10:57

Reece Donnelly didn’t manage to make it to the final boardroom on The Apprentice but according to the Scottish star, he’s relieved he didn’t become Lord Sugar’s next business partner. 

The 2023 candidate left the series in week six due to health reasons but went back to his business running Theatre School of Scotland, which now has three locations in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Greenock. 

In an exclusive chat with virginradio.co.uk, Reece revealed that while he’s forever thrilled for his time on the BBC business competition, the end goal of Lord Sugar’s investment and partnership was eventually something he was thankful he didn’t receive. 

“I absolutely loved my time on the show,” Reece confessed. “It was no secret that I was there to win, but I think that a year later, I’m actually really grateful that I don’t need to share my wages with Lord Sugar. I can laugh about it now.”

The entrepreneur shared how he originally thought he needed Lord Sugar to make sure his Theatre School dreams could become a reality, but it turned out that being on the show was more than enough. 

He continued: “We’ve got [three] theatre schools and we’re making a full time degree and diploma. I thought in my naive mind that I needed Lord Sugar to do that when I actually quickly realised I didn't really need him to do that. 

“I think it would be lovely for someone to give you £250,000, but it amazed me how you could raise capital from my own business without needing to get investment. 

“We've actually opened that business now. It's now just past the million total turnover point in year two, and I don't need to give Lord Sugar 50 percent of my wages. So it's lovely.”

Speaking about what he makes of this year’s band of candidates, Reece admitted he would’ve “personally fired” some in the first moments of the series, but now he’s experienced The Apprentice first hand, he can see what makes the perfect candidate. 

“I just watch it through a very different lens now,” he added. "I feel like after watching the year before me when I was in isolation, I watched it and thought ‘God they're absolutely idiots, like where are their brains?’

“I feel like now I watch it. I'm like, I know that there's so much set up and like, you know, there's so much fabric for entertainment. So I really sympathise with the candidates, I really do.”

The Apprentice continues on Thursday nights at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.