Wednesday, 18 June 2008

The Apprentice's Claire Young: I'm far tougher than Lee McQueen

Reality TV star says she would have been a far better employee than Sir Alan Sugar's winner

The Apprentice finalists: Lee McQueen and Claire Young

Claire Young narrowly lost out to Lee McQueen

The Apprentice runner-up Claire Young claims by Sir Alan Sugar has made a mistake by hiring winner Lee McQueen.

‘Lee likes everyone to love him – in that respect he's easy to manage,’ she says. ‘If Sir Alan said to him: “Lee, you're gonna be a cleaner for the next year,” he would be like: “Fantastic, because I'm doing it for Sir Alan.”

'If Sir Alan said that to me, I'd tell him to naff off.’

Claire, 28, reckons she was the best candidate for Sir Alan, 61.

‘I'm much tougher and probably more well-rounded,’ she says. ‘Lee's fantastic at sales, but he's got more to learn.

‘I could have gone into Sir Alan's businesses and really had a different perspective, challenged him and shaken things up.'