The Apprentice runner-up Camilla Ainsworth interview: 'I don't really see this as a loss at all'

The Apprentice has officially drawn to a close with Lord Sugar handing yet another £250,000 investment to his chosen candidate.

Camilla Ainsworth – a favourite of her fellow contestants – narrowly missed out on the opportunity after being defeated by luxury swimwear designer Sian Gabbidon, who reigned supreme after one last heated boardroom showdown.

Despite expressing interest in Ainsworth’s nut milk business, Lord Sugar was won over by Gabbidon’s creative streak.

We spoke to the ever-optimistic Ainsworth who expressed her shock over the result and shared her true thoughts on this year’s eventual winner.

You were so close... How are you feeling now the decision’s been made?

Obviously, I would have loved to win. But, I’m 22 – the youngest finalist ever on The Apprentice – so it’s massively encouraging to me. Just having the opportunity to present my product and business idea to some of the most respectable tycoons in the country is so amazing, so I don’t really see it as a loss at all. I’m a very positive person and I’m very optimistic for the future, so if anything, I’m just glad to finally have the closure so I can move forward with building my business and making it a huge success.

You must have picked up so many skills throughout the process.

It sounds clichéd, but I’ve learnt lots about myself. When you’re involved in your own business, it’s hard to critique it so I’ve learnt a lot about where I can improve and how to go about it. Also, about how to conduct yourself in interviews because I’ve not experienced that before. Now I know not to say “Yoo-hoo” as a greeting. So onwards and upwards.

Why do you think he opted for Sian at the final hurdle?

It’s an interesting question. I’m obviously biased towards my business, but maybe he saw the fact that mine is so new [compared with] Sian’s, which has been up and running for quite a bit longer, as a risk factor. But I saw that as a positive because I’m in my infancy and that meant we could build it together and mould it to market in whatever way we decided was the best way. But ultimately, it was his decision and when I think about it, it’s not the worst thing to happen to me. Definitely not. It means that I’m going to have full control in my business with how I want to run it and push it forward.

Was it a shock considering he recently fired people for being too experienced?

It was a bit of a shock because I do think if you look at the figures, the dairy free and vegan market is absolutely huge. It’s a juggernaut that is showing no signs of slowing down, and I’ve come up with a product that’s not currently available on the shelves: a gourmet range of grab and go nut milk. It’s very exciting and it’s something that I thought would be Sugar cat nip, really. But I suppose you have to trust the timing of your life. Maybe Sian had the fact that her business has been running for longer on her side. Sian’s an amazing girl and I couldn’t have lost to a better person.

How was the final boardroom showdown? It got pretty heated at the end.

Yeah, it was hard. Really difficult. But we both knew it’s £250,000 at stake which is not pocket change, so we had to put our personal feelings aside and just fight for it. As we left that boardroom, we hugged it out, had a giggle and had some good old Northern banter.

How was it teaming up with your old candidates for the final task?

It was amazing. I couldn’t have picked a better team. I felt like I had their full support from the start and that was the best feeling.

Did you enjoy the experience of being on TV each week?

Define “enjoy.” It’s been weird. I’ve been watching behind pillows most weeks. It took a while to get used to it because I’m not an overly egotistical person. I cringe when I send videos and voice notes, so to see my face on the TV was really weird to come to terms with. But I do think I’ll miss it. Because you’re so involved in the tasks, you don’t know what’s going to be shown, so it was quite exciting.

Did you find it hard to stay away from the fights?

No. I think as a person, I’m very gregarious. I get on with people and that’s always been my secret weapon. You’ve got to get on with people because these are the ones who are going to have to support you. I got brought back to the boardroom once in the whole process which is really amazing, and when I’ve read through [the other candidates’s] interviews, a lot of them have been backing me which I didn’t realise. It’s massively encouraging. That means more to me than anything else, really.

If you could employ any candidates to work as part of your business, who would you choose?

I would bring Jackie because she’d be my secret weapon in terms of sales. I think she’d be able to sell nut milk to someone with a nut allergy. I’d take loads of them! I think Daniel would be too demanding with equity and salary, though.

Have you spoken to Claude since the aforementioned “yoo-hoo” moment?

I spoke to him on the You’re Hired show and we had a giggle. I could tell he wanted to say it back! that’s my greeting. All my friends were like, “Oh my God, that’s hilarious”.

Your branding got criticised for being too risqué. Have you moved away from that?

Yeah, I’ve gone for cheeky. I think that’s going to really come across when people look at the website. I’ve got a lot of good feedback about it. I’ve just launched my new product and the packaging is fun and geared towards females, but without alienating men. I think you’ve got to be so careful of going over the line, and I’ve really managed to nail exactly what I’m trying to get across. We’re empowering people because being dairy free is not just for people who are dairy free - it’s encouraging people to go down that alternative path. It’s letting them know it’s alright to be different. I think that’s a good message to put across in this day and age.

How would you surmise your Apprentice experience overall?

In a nutshell? I would say it’s been an absolute rollercoaster and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I feel so proud of myself. I’ve really represented the North. I think it’s going to be a final that goes down in history and I’m really proud to be a part of it.

The Apprentice will return to the BBC in 2019