The Apprentice winner Carina Lepore interview: 'I was quietly confident'

The 15th series's victorious candidate on how she weathered the drama to become the tycoon's latest business partner

After 12 weeks of challenging tasks, the winner of The Apprentice 2019 has been named.

Lord Sugar eventually decided that his £250,000 investment would go to 30-year-old Carina Lepore following a tense showdown that saw Scarlett Allen-Horton walk away as this year's runner-up.

Despite the tycoon being torn between the pair's recruitment and bakery businesses, respectively, it was the desire to try something a bit different that saw Carina pip Scarlett to the post, with Sugar stating: "Shops, I’ve never had [and] I like the idea of more bread – so Carina, you’re going to be my business partner.”

Fresh from her win, Carina spoke to us about how it feels to become the series's latest winner, why she never raised her voice throughout the process and what's next for her partnership with Lord Sugar.

An obvious question, but how does it feel to win The Apprentice?

Amazing. It’s a real pinch-me moment. I haven’t had any of these my life. It’s like: “Is this really happening to me?” It’s incredible.

Why do you think Lord Sugar opted for you at the end there?

I had a feeling that, if he wanted to go for something different, fresh and exciting, then he’d pick me – and he has! I wanted to prove to him I was a worthy business partner for a start, and that I’m hardworking and had a great idea.

Were you always confident that you had a fighting chance of winning?

I think I was quietly confident. I’m not being cocky, but I sort of thought if I could just continue to win, win, win – because that’s what it’s about. I wanted to win the whole show. I wanted to show him I’m down to earth, yes, but I can also run a business successfully.

You never once raised your voice throughout the competition. Was it a conscious effort to stay out of the fights?

It’s sort of my way. Shouting isn’t my style; it isn’t really in me. I do have a loud voice, but I’ve never had to shout at my team – I don’t even shout at my son; I just give him a look. Fighting could have thrown off the whole task. That’s why I say I’m a good leader when others aren’t so good.

What was that final boardroom showdown with Scarlett like?

I thought we were respectful of each other as women in business. We’re both mothers and were striving for our goal. It was obviously a tough boardroom, and we had a lot to say about why Lord Sugar should invest in us, but ultimately, there was a level of respect.

One thing that surprised me at the end was Scarlett getting quite personal. Did that surprise you?

I think it was the way Lord Sugar's question was aimed because I would have reacted the same. He told Scarlett her business wasn’t as established as mine. Maybe he saw it as “Carina employs X amount of people and is running a turnover of X amount, whereas you’re not,” but Scarlett’s point was that we’ve been running for the same amount of time – so why would her business not be as established as mine? I wasn’t taken aback by it. I expected it to be tough.

Would you say you were this year’s underdog?

Yeah, because I wasn’t like Thomas and all “Wahey, come and get your pillows!” We’re quite similar, and he’s ones of my best friends from the show, but whereas I would just think to myself, “Cor, I did a good job there – I made a good rollercoaster,” Tom would come back to me and say, “Carina, I’ve won this task – my rollercoaster is the bollocks.” I’d be quieter in my approach. When I thought I’d done a good job, I wouldn’t shout about it.

Your partnership with Thomas in the final task was lovely to watch.

It was nice, wasn’t it? I don’t know if people would be conscious of this but, because Lord Sugar moved us around, I was never on his team. I think that’s maybe why we got on so well – because I didn’t have to manage him. We formed a great friendship in the house. When he came back, he was bags of energy and that’s what I needed on that final challenge.

If you could employ any of your fellow candidates, who would you choose?

Pamela is great, isn’t she? They’re all great. My brand’s about personality – about having some sort of flair and being great with the public, so Tom would be great. He’d be selling sausage rolls like there’s no tomorrow. We’d sell a lot.

Now that you’re officially Lord Sugar’s business partner, I’m assuming you’ve met him away from the cameras. How’s that been?

We’ve had a chat, yeah. Lord Sugar is very much how he is, you know? He’s not different off-screen; he’d still tell me the same stuff and give me the same advice. I learnt some great things from him in that boardroom. He said some quotes that have stuck in my mind. We’re going to have a good adventure.

'The Apprentice's 2019 finalists Carina Lepore and Scarlett Allen-Horton (David Fisher/REX)

What are you going to do to abate the concerns he initially might have had about your business?

I’ll gain his trust massively. I’m gonna prove to him what I wanted to prove from day one: I’m here for business, I’m here to grow dough – literally – and make the business as big as we can. To have him on board and believing in me is really, really great.

What’s the next stage for you and Lord Sugar?

I think we’re gonna meet for planning in January. We know we want to open some shops. We’ve already got one in Herne Hill, but hopefully, there’ll be a couple more Dough Bakehouses next year.

Impossible question, this, but how would you surmise your Apprentice experience?

Epic – that’s my word. Or fantastic – any of those words you want to use. it’s been a fantastic opportunity and I’ve loved it from the start. From the audition stage to the final boardroom, everything’s been amazing.

The Apprentice returns to BBC One in 2020