Leah Totton wins The Apprentice final

Leah Totton won a cash injection for her cosmetic procedures business last night when she heard the words “you’re hired” from The Apprentice’s Lord Sugar.

Lord Sugar unveils Leah Totton as the winner of The Apprentice. Picture: Ian West/PA

The Irish doctor, who works in London, was named winner of the ninth series of the BBC1 show and bagged £250,000 to boost her business finances.

Dr Totton triumphed over cake shop boss and friend Luisa Zissman to secure Lord Sugar as her new business partner.

Despite Lord Sugar’s earlier worries about the ethics of her business, NIKS Medical, Dr Totton managed to reduce his frown lines by ironing out the wrinkles in how her plan would work.

Finalists Luisa Zissman, right, and Leah Totton. Picture: PA

The finalists brought back previous candidates to help them in branding and marketing their business plans before presenting them to a room of industry experts.

But Ms Zissman broke down in tears after feeling she had bungled part of her pitch, and her baking supplies online wholesale business, Baker’s Toolkit, failed to rise to success in the boardroom.

Dr Totton was seen bossing her team around much more than usual in the final task.

She said: “I’m hoping I keep that assertiveness. [Luisa] took some of the softer side of me, and I took some of her bossiness.”

Dr Totton, 25, plans to offer anti-ageing skin treatments, including chemical peels and dermal fillers, at a chain of clinics, in which she hopes to raise the standards of the beauty industry with her own medical credentials.

The brand name of the clinics has changed to Dr Leah at Lord Sugar’s request and Dr Totton is continuing with a masters degree as well as planning to keep her hand in clinical work as a locum.

She said she did not expect her new business partner to become a client of her clinics any time soon: “I think Lord Sugar’s face is fine as it is,” she said.