The Apprentice contestant quits show due to ‘medical reasons’

The Apprentice contestant Shama Amin has quit the show due to health reasons.

The 41-year-old’s exit will be addressed during Thursday’s episode of the BBC One series, in which she will tell Lord Sugar she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis.

The children’s day nursery owner, from Bradford, will cite the “physically demanding” nature of the competition to win £250,000 worth of investment in their business.

She will say: “I suffer from a condition called rheumatoid arthritis.

“Because of medical reasons, due to this process being so physically demanding, despite all the efforts the whole team has made to support me, I have had to make a difficult decision to leave the process.

“I would just like to thank you so much for this opportunity.”

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints and usually affects the hands, feet and wrists.

Amin’s departure leaves 13 entrepreneurs in the running to become Lord Sugar’s next business partner.

Ahead of joining the show, Amin said she wanted to “be a living example for the Asian women and South Asian women out there”.

The mother-of-five added that “being a lady of colour, wearing a headscarf,” means she understands the challenges they face.

The first episode of the new series was watched by 4.6 million people, making it the show’s most popular launch since 2017.

The Apprentice continues on Thursday January 20 at 9pm on BBC One.