How winning The Apprentice 'ruined' Stella English's life after feud with Lord Sugar left her with '£90 in the bank and led to divorce'
The Apprentice returns to screens on Thursday, with a host of new hopefuls competing to earn a six-figure salary job from Lord Sugar.
But not every winner has reaped the rewards of success, as Stella English discovered when she left 'just £90 in the bank and a ruined reputation', which ultimately led to her husband divorcing her.
Stella became Lord Sugar's apprentice in 2010 and was rewarded with a £100,000-a-year job at IT company Viglen, but just a few years later she claimed her life was 'ruined' after a falling out with Lord Sugar.
The investment banker, who quit her £85,000-a-year job at Japanese bank Daiwa to star in the BBC show, was left wishing she would 'never take part in it'.
Speak with The mirror in 2013 she admitted: 'I wish I'd never been on The Apprentice. I'm broke and on my knees. I just don't know how to proceed.'
Stella English was left with 'just £90 in the bank and a ruined reputation' which ultimately led to her husband divorcing her after she won The Apprentice in 2010 (pictured in 2013)
She claimed she was forced to quit her job at Lord Sugar after 12 months and filed a constructive dismissal case against the business mogul.
However, the tribunal dismissed the case, with the panel ruling that her case 'should never have been brought' and that it was 'unwise'.
Her two-year marriage ended due to the tension of the lawsuit when Lord Sugar later sued her.
He later said: 'I'm afraid she has underestimated me and her reputation is now in tatters.'
In her interview with The mirror Stella continued: 'I have £90 in the bank. I'll have to ask friends for money. I just live from day to day.'
“The day Ray left me, he said, 'I wish you'd never done that show.' I just didn't know what to say. We got through the courts, but when Sugar's costs application came, that was the last straw.”
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly and Aled Jones on Daybreak, she later added: 'Despite [the high salary] I physically couldn't stay there because it was unbearable. I had no future there, I knew it, that's why I resigned.
'I don't regret going on the show because I won The Apprentice and I'm very proud of that.'
Stella was rewarded with a £100,000-a-year job at IT company Viglen, but just a few years later she claimed her life was 'ruined' after a row with Lord Sugar
In 2013, she told The Mirror: 'I wish I'd never been on The Apprentice. I'm broke and on my knees. I just don't know how to move on' (pictured in 2013)
Stella continued: “But obviously I regret what I had to go through and what my family had to go through, and I'm very sad about the consequences it has had.
“Anyway, I'm sticking with it. I spoke the truth and I stood up for myself and I paid dearly for it, but I will never apologize for it.”
She then went on to work as a Management Consultant at computer giant HP, before starting to host Crowdbox TV, a crowdfunding TV channel, in 2014.
Her love life also changed when Stella found happiness with snooker player boyfriend Ali Carter in 2016 and they became pregnant in 2017.
The businesswoman made the big revelation while attending the World Snooker Dinner And Awards at the swanky Dorchester Hotel in London, where she showed off her baby bump for the first time.
Ali told MailOnline about the news, expressing his delight, especially after battling cancer twice – once testicular and another with lung – before being given the all-clear in May 2014.
Fortunately, her love life changed when Stella found happiness with snooker player boyfriend Ali Carter in 2016 and they became pregnant in 2017 (Ali photo from this month)
He said: 'After everything I've been through, I can't believe my luck. Stella has had a positive influence both on and off the (snooker) table. I'm back in the top sixteen and looking forward to welcoming our little bundle in the coming weeks. We couldn't be happier!'
Stella said outside the bash: 'What with Ali being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2013 and diagnosed with lung cancer a month later, it's just fantastic for him – and for me!'
Despite her professional problems, Stella found love again after the duo reportedly fell for each other for the first time.
Sources told The Sunday People at the time: 'Ali has had Stella for a while now and things are going really well so far. They've been hanging out with her in Kent, and their friends know how happy they both are.'