TV
What's been happening in your life since you got fired by Sir Alan?
"Since I got fired, I moved back to Ireland and set up my own makeover photographic studio called Bella The Makeover Studio. We're also launching our own makeup range this year and opening a second studio in the West of Ireland. It's all going really well. My team's booked out and the recession hasn't affected us as of yet. I'm really happy!"
What were the main lessons you learnt from the show?
"I wouldn't have started my own business without my experiences on the show. It taught me so much about picking yourself up and dusting yourself off. The other important thing I learnt is that you require real stamina. You have to be willing to work every hour. That's what you do on The Apprentice. You go to bed at stupid o'clock and get up at stupid o'clock. It is like a boot camp. You need to be mentally stable to cope. Another important lesson I learnt was dealing with people that criticise you. Being fantastic at business isn't about having the gift of the gab. It's about dealing with people who say no to you. On The Apprentice you have to deal with all the drama, all the highly-strung people, the intense schedule. Setting up my own business was a cake after that show."
You were criticised for being an "ice maiden" in the boardroom. Was that fair?
"I was happy with what I did on the show. I was a bit cold in the boardroom sometimes, but it's hard to go in that boardroom with people you quite like and then start ripping them to shreds. Sir Alan does not let you out of the room unless he gets the dirt and that's the problem. You've got to avoid becoming too close to people. I had a great time and I'm still in great contact with many of the contestants. I wasn't unhappy with the edit. It didn't portray me completely, but there is that side to me, I guess. If you go on TV like that and are put under extreme pressure, your bad points will come out and are blown up. I just laughed when I watched it back. I thought it was hilarious."
Is it slightly irritating when other contestants launch media careers after the show?
"Not at all. I mean, people need to make their money. Business people are business people. I do as much media stuff over here as Raef and Claire do in the UK. But I do it purely to promote my business. I have no animosity there. The likes of Raef, he makes a fortune out of it. He doesn't need to work. If I was him, I would be prancing about doing stupid programmes with dogs all the time. In Ireland it's smaller, but I get invited to things and I did a radio show on the Irish Apprentice."
Do people still come up to you in the street and talk to you about it?
"I always get recognised at Heathrow Airport. When I go through security, they always stop me and say, 'Now I know you from somewhere. Is it the chemist in Chiswick?' They all say silly things like that. It's all been really positive since I did the You're Fired! show. When people meet me naturally, they soon see what I'm really like. You still get the odd comment like, 'Aren't you that b***h from The Apprentice?' But that's what you put yourself forward for. Don't go on the show if you are in any way sensitive, because you won't be able to handle it."
What's the best way to handle Sir Alan in the boardroom?
"Be humble, because he likes humble people. Be humble and be enthusiastic about everything you do. Basically be like Lee. Being a bloke helps as well, because he's a blokey bloke. I'm really looking forward to finding out what this year's contestants are like. Our series especially was bitchy and the girls were very full-on, so it made great TV."
What did you make of the girls' team on the Comic Relief Celebrity Apprentice?
"That Michelle Mone, I didn't like her attitude. She was a bit of a know-all. She was very good at working with certain types of people, but not everybody. She claims to be a fantastic business person who has this huge enterprise but she didn't handle some people very well and came off quite badly. I quite liked Pasty and like the fact she stood up for herself. It was weird to watch though. As soon as I hear that music, I get a sickness in the pit of my stomach. But thankfully I got through it without puking!"
Information on Jennifer Maguire's Dublin-based Photographic Makeover Studio is at www.bellamakover.ie
