Dancer steps out as Apprentice hopeful as TV contest returns
Francesca MacDuff-Varley is among 16 candidates bidding to catch the eye of millionaire tycoon Lord Sugar when the BBC1 series returns next week.
She runs a string of dance and entertainment agencies from her base in an old textile mill in Morley, Leeds.
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Hide AdShe said: “I’m prepared to fight to the death to become Lord Sugar’s business partner.”
Miss MacDuff-Varley, 32, says working hard is her greatest strength and describes herself as “determined, driven and fun” – but admits she can be a “control freak” at times.
She names Pineapple Dance Studios founder Debbie Moore and choreographer Arlene Phillips as her business inspirations.
Contestants on the new series also include a Monaco marketing firm boss who spent a season as a racing driver, the owner of a cupcake shop and a property company chief who idolises Napoleon.
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Hide AdOther hopefuls seeking to win £250,000 of investment from Lord Sugar are a jazz singer and an analyst whose first deal was selling kittens at school, aged six.
BBC1 viewers will see the group being put through their paces in a range of business tasks over 12 weeks.
They will be observed every step of the way by the show’s returning expert advisers, Karren Brady and Nick Hewer.
Lord Sugar said: “This process is not about a job, it is about me ploughing £250,000 into a business.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity. For me to choose you, you’ve got to be brilliant.”
The ninth series of The Apprentice begins next Tuesday.