Anita Shah ('The Apprentice')

Sir Alan Sugar kicked off the new series of The Apprentice by warning the 15 hopefuls he was no Elton John. To differentiate himself from the pop pianist he gave the candidates a tough cleaning challenge, asking them to raise as much cash as possible in ten hours. The girls' team, led by Mona Lewis, came unstuck early doors, wasting nearly £200 on car wash equipment and consequently handing the win to the boys. Back in the boardroom Sir Alan ended up blaming Anita Shah. Was it the right decision to fire her? We spoke to 35-year-old law graduate to find out.

Do you think Sir Alan fired the right woman?
"I don't think I deserved to be one to go, but I hold my hands up for saying some things that weren't particularly clever. But I think there were people there who made bigger mistakes than me. My project manager did a poor job of coming up with a vision and Debra didn't do a great job of managing the sub-team either. Mona stepped up to the challenge of being team leader, which I think helped her in the end, but ultimately she didn't actually complete the job and I think she should have gone. It's really devastating to be fired first. You gear yourself up emotionally, than all of a sudden you realise, 'Oh dear, I'm out!'"

You claimed that being a lawyer counted against you. Do you genuinely believe that?
"Those comments were taken slightly out of context. You didn't see Sir Alan telling me in the boardroom that he doesn't need another lawyer in his organisation. That's where the comment came from. I regret saying to the camera, 'I don't have a chip on my shoulder' because as I watched it back, I thought 'that is so me having a chip on my shoulder'. The thing about being trained as a lawyer is that you become obsessed with problems. You start thinking, 'you can't do this, you can't do that'. Sir Alan is looking for an innovator and lawyers are traditionally viewed as backwards people. I think lawyers will have a starting point behind all the other contestants on the show."

Did you cringe when you watched back some of your comments about successfully using a calculator?
"How did I feel when I saw it? I thought 'Damn it! You look like a miserable so-and-so'. If you meet me face to face, you'll know that's not what I'm about. I came across as dull and either petrified or p***ed off in the boardroom. It was irritating because that's not really me. But at least in the boardroom I acted with conscience and integrity. If I'd been tougher and not been myself I might have gone through. The problem is that I'm a perfectionist and when someone says I'm in the wrong, I admit it and am willing to take the blame. I was too tough on myself in the boardroom and you can't afford to do that."

What did you think to Debra and Mona? They both seemed quite cut-throat when it came to business.
"I think they're both good, but I didn't see them for long enough to make a proper opinion. Debra did have very, very aggressive behaviour, which may make her unpopular if she doesn't keep an eye on it. But I'm not going to sit here and slag her off. Mona has a real drive to her and I think both of them could go very far."

Is it true that you want to launch a emotional, psychological and spiritual therapy business?
"My plans were taken slightly out of context, but the idea is inspired by the credit crunch and recession. It's hitting people I meet every day and everywhere you go there's stress and I think this credit meltdown is going to create a people meltdown. I think there's an opportunity and gap in the market for spiritual and emotional development to deal with that. I know it sounds wet and washy, but I actually think it's something that's going to make money if it's harnessed in the right way. People are going for things like counselling a lot more these days, so I definitely think there's a potential business there. I'm not sure if I'm the person to create it, but it's something I'm very interested in."

Apparently you want to write a chick lit novel in the future. Have you made any progress?
"Never plan too much because plans are there to be broken. Have aspirations, but also live each day. As Sir Alan's still on a quest for his Apprentice and I'm still on my quest. I want to find somewhere that I can excel. As for the chick lit novel, I'm about 50,000 words through. I have lots of ideas about how I'll shape it and already have ideas for the book that follows, which will be about the credit crunch. I'm enjoying building the characters and there will hopefully be some interesting outcomes for them. I don't think The Apprentice will be the last that you hear of me."

The Apprentice continues next Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One.