The runner-up of The Apprentice 2025 has opened up about falling at the final hurdle – and revealed a surprise claim about the climactic boardroom showdown.
On Thursday (17 April), Lord Sugar made his decision after whittling down 18 candidates to just two – and selected Dean Franklin as his latest business partner, securing him the tycoon’s £250,000 investment.
Dean’s air-conditioning business was favoured over Anisa Khan’s restaurant, which offers pizzas with Indian-based ingredients.
In a follow-up interview after the episode aired on the BBC, Anisa acknowledged that Dean’s business “does make more money” than hers, which is now called Bombay Pizza, stating to MailOnline: “I think from a business perspective, it makes sense, we’re all sure that Sugar wants to invest in the one that makes more money. And I think that’s what it came down to in the end.”
However, rather than succumb to nerves in the final showdown, Anisa said she felt strangely measured.
“I know the final boardroom was the most important, but it’s also the one I was the most calm in it, because I think by that point, I was just speaking about my business and I knew, in terms of the final task being about my business, that I had done everything I could have in a way.
“I presented well, I said my arguments, I described the business.”
Meanwhile, Franklin told Yahoo! News that he always had a feeling he’d win the show if he made it through the auditions.
“I’ve always wanted to do The Apprentice; I’ve always said to my friends and family, ‘I’m gonna get on that show one day and I’m gonna win it.’ And I’ve done it.”
However unlike Anisa, he found the final boardroom “a struggle” as he was so tired and “had nothing left”.
“I knew my taxi was outside that was taking me home. That got in my head when I was in the final boardroom and I was just thinking, ‘I’m going home in a minute. Let’s just get this done.’
Dean continued: “I’m not the best speaker and this is what I was saying in the process – I was up against people that are professional speakers. I’ve never done anything like this before. I never had to speak in front of an audience or speak about myself in these ways.
“I’ve always been a grafter, I’ve always been on the tools and sites, and that’s what I’m used to, so this was me out of my depth. But I was just true to myself and just spoke how I could, really.”
The Apprentice returns to BBC One in 2026.
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