Fired candidate praises "strong" Debra

Fired Apprentice candidate Howard Ebison has praised rival Debra Barr for being a "strong woman".

Ebison clashed with Barr during various tasks on the BBC One show, but he insisted that he had nothing but respect for the English Literature graduate.

"I'm very fond of Debra," he told DS. "She's an incredibly strong woman and is a very strong candidate.

"She doesn't think before she speaks, but even despite that, she nearly always gets things right in business. If she learned to think a little before she spoke, it would be frightening just how good she might be."

The Surrey-born retail business manager also singled out Kate Walsh as a potential winner of the show, arguing that she is the "complete package".

"I always thought that if I wanted to win The Apprentice that it would be her that I had to beat," he said. "She's got the complete package.

"She's incredibly proactive and is always the first one on a task to say, 'let's do this', she's always first to start selling in the street, she just never wastes any time."

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