Glaswegian bridal shop owner among new contestants on The Apprentice

THE Apprentice is back - with a professional wrestler, a beauty salon owner and a woman who calls herself “the Blonde Assassin” among 16 ambitious contestants competing in this year’s series of the popular BBC programme.

Among the contestents is Laura Hogg (pictured) from Glasgow, a 28-year-old bridal shop owner and former ice skater who once skated with Torvill and Dean.

The mother-of-one says: “I am going to be one of Scotland’s next big exports.”

Lord Sugar, 64, is offering to become a partner and plough £250,000 of investment into the winning candidate’s business idea.

The eighth series of the hit BBC1 show kicks off next Wednesday, March 21, with the tycoon warning the wannabes in typically abrasive style: “Don’t try and hide. We’re not playing ‘Where’s Wally’ here.

“I’m not looking for Lord Lucan, I’m looking for somebody who is going to put themselves forward and show me that they have got the aggression and business acumen to be my partner.”

He tells them: “If I wanted a friend, I’d get a dog. I’m looking for a partner, the Marks to my Spencer, the Lennon to my McCartney.”

Nick Hewer and Karren Brady return as Lord Sugar’s trusted advisers, whittling down the contestants as they perform a series of tasks over 12 weeks.

The candidates include 26-year-old recruitment manager Ricky Martin, from Hampshire, who is a professional wrestler in the evening and at weekends.

He boasts: “I truly am the reflection of perfection.”

Another contestant, Katie Wright, is a 26-year-old editorial and research director, who lives in London.

The married Fulham football fan, who wishes she had been the brains behind Heinz baked beans, says: “I would call myself ‘The Blonde Assassin’. I let people under-estimate me just so I can blow them out of the water.”