Apprentice candidate Really hurtful remark by Lord Sugar prompted me to quit

Apprentice contestant Dr Jana Denzel has said a “really hurtful” remark from Lord Alan Sugar prompted him to quit the BBC One show.

The cosmetic dentist, from London, took part in series 19 of the business show which sees contestants compete for Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment.

Dr Jana left the show in episode five after weeks of doing well at negotiating and getting deals and, in his last task, was the project manager, making Easter eggs.

His team lost the challenge, which saw him make a simple, chocolate treat aimed at children and, before the results were revealed, he said he is “not sure I wants it as bad as them”, and wants to “step away from the process”.

As Dr Jana departed, Lord Sugar said: “It’s been a pleasure having you here … you seem a stand-up fellow, I wish you well.”

He told the PA news agency that he thought he “performed really, really well”, until episode four when “Lord Sugar said to me, ‘You’ve been really, really quiet since the last few weeks’.

“And that just registered in my head. I was like … and I did say this as well, but I didn’t get a chance to speak … ‘I’ve been one of the best performing candidates here for the last few weeks, I’ve been really giving it 100% and all of myself. But you just say that I’ve been really, really quiet is really hurtful’.

“That moment onwards, I looked at him and I was like, You know what? Maybe this just isn’t a great fit, then, because if I’m positively contributing and giving 100% of myself, and you’re saying, ‘I’m really, really quiet, and you haven’t seen much from me’, then I don’t think this is going to work.

“So, I actually made my decision in that boardroom at the end of episode four, and I said to the producers as well, I don’t think this is (going to) work … or be a great fit for me … because I don’t like how that was going down.”

The son of Sri Lankan refugees, who built a dental practice in Harley Street, Dr Jana admitted in “hindsight” he could have spoken up more in boardrooms, but also maintained that Lord Sugar has access to the records of who led which negotiation.

During the third task, where the candidates were challenged to buy a list of items for Lord Sugar at a good price, he said he “was the only person to get my thing for cost price”, later giving the flower seller a pound extra as he thought the businessman would be unhappy with such a low price.

Dr Jana’s idea was to have “cosmetic dentistry clinics that we were going to scale up using his commercial property”, and thinks that he has found investment after “renting my rooms” from Dragons’ Den investor Steven Bartlett.

He said Bartlett put him in touch with his then investment manager, Danny Gray, whom he is working with on “not only scaling the dental clinic, but we’re looking at all (the) healthcare product market”, to get products in chain pharmacies.

“We’ve been working on some pretty cool stuff, and that’s all thanks to Stephen,” he added.

The dentist, who boasts a BSc in biology with psychology, a degree in dentistry, and a postgraduate diploma in restorative and aesthetic dentistry, said he is also talking to The Apprentice producers about other shows, and added that he needs a” little bit of time before I jump back on the TV screen again”.

He said he wants to be a representation to “people who come from similar backgrounds as me, growing up in a refugee home”, and especially in his community, the Tamils.

“I’m the first person from that community on the show like this, and that community has gone behind me, and I feel in some aspects, I’ve let them down by leaving so early,” he added.

Candidates have left the show early before, including children’s nursery owner Shama Amin and Glasgow-based theatre school owner Reece Donnelly over the last few years.

After he departed the programme, Dr Jana was spoken to about an “ill-informed” remark he made about a character during a task – which saw production staff tell him his “use of language was not acceptable”.

Published: 28/02/2025 by Radio NewsHub