Karren Brady is best known as a business executive and television personality, former managing director of Birmingham City FC and current vice-chairman of West Ham United FC, but she is also a vital and as an aide to Lord Sugar on the BBC television series The Apprentice.
In an interview with Steven Bartlett for The Diary of a CEO podcast, the business woman has revealed just how intensive the filming schedule is for the BBC TV show, which films over 5 weeks each year.
Karren said: "When we're filming The Apprentice and the voiceover says, 'It's 4am', it really is 4am. We work 16 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week for five weeks to produce that show, without a break. There isn't a day off."
The business-woman continues: "It's really hard going. I say to Paul (Karren Brady is married to Canadian soccer manager and former player, Paul Peschisolido) it's much better if he's not there. I want to get up at 4 in the morning, have a bath, put the lights on turn the television on, and get back at 8 at night and go straight to bed."
She adds that it her marriage, this level of honesty works. She says: "We respect each other, we love our kids, our kids are our whole life. Everything is about our family. We have such a great laugh together."
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Steven asked Karren how important it is to be candid in relationships and she says: "It's really important, you can't pretend to be someone you're not. "
Lord Sugar, who stars in The Apprentice alongside Karren, tweeted his support for Karren's comments on the nature of filming the series saying: "I don't think most people appreciate the intensity of filming #TheApprentice. Here @karren_brady is talking about her work-life balance."
Karren also revealed in the interview that there is a strong friendship behind the scenes on The Apprentice saying: "It's such good fun. There's a real level of support and we're all good friends. Alan, Claude and I go on holiday together, we go out for dinner, we're firm friends first and foremost".
You can watch Karren Brady's full interview with Steven Bartlett on Diary of a CEO YouTube.
