The Apprentice’s Shama Amin will dramatically quit the show before tomorrow night’s task due to her crippling arthritis.
Stunning her fellow contestants and Lord Sugar, the mother-of-five tells them she had to make the decision for her health.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Shama, 41, confirmed she felt she had no choice but to leave after facing exhausting 19-hour days.
She said: “The audition process was gruelling but once the show started, it was very physically demanding.
“I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. And it affects your joints, your physical mobility. In my personal life, when I need to rest I put my feet up.”
Shama told how she urged herself to continue but struggled to put her shoes on after swelling on her feet and legs.
She said she had to be well enough to look after her kids, adding: “It’s absolutely devastating because I had so much more to bring to the table.”
Shama, from Bradford, praised the production team who gave her medical help before she agreed she would leave. Looking back on episode two last week, Shama put herself forward for project manager.
But she was shouted down by others and Francesca Kennedy Wallbank was chosen instead.
Shama was also made to work on an app instead of branding and some viewers felt she was being harshly treated or even bullied.
Asked if that played any part in her leaving, she said: “Absolutely not. I put myself forward again and again, and the girls kept saying, ‘No, no, no’.
“I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to have my moment, I’m going to be the PM. And I’ll show you how it’s done’.
“But I learned so much on the show, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Viewers will see Shama step down when Lord Sugar asks candidates to meet at a foodie temple before telling them they will have to create and launch a non-alcoholic drink.
Shama is not the first hopeful to quit and follows Scott Saunders in 2015 and Aleksandra King in 2016.
*The Apprentice is on BBC1 tomorrow night at 9pm
