The Apprentice star exposes Lord Sugar's secret favourites ahead of the final

A former winner has shared her theory on which candidates are 's secret favourites are ahead of the final. She also revealed who she considers the "strongest" candidates.

Harpreet Kaur Thakrar, now 33, was awarded from Lord Sugar, now 78, for her desserts brand Oh So Yum as the winner of the show in 2022. Earlier this year, she told that she's remained on "really good terms" with him and kept in touch after he and she later left the business.

She's now shared her thoughts on the remaining candidates on this year's series of the Apprentice ahead of the final, which is expected to air later this month. Harpreet revealed who she believes will have impressed Lord Sugar and named the two candidates that she considers to be the "strongest".

Speaking to Sky Vegas on behalf of this week, when asked if there are any candidates she thinks will have particularly impressed Lord Sugar, given that she knows him and has been through the process herself, Harpreet named Amber-Rose Badrudin. She also mentioned Dean Franklin.

Sharing her thoughts on the latest series, winner Harpreet said: "Amber-Rose really pushes herself forward - she's not someone who shies away from the task. Her decisions aren't always perfect, but she's always willing to step up."

The entrepreneur continued by saying: "As for Dean, knowing Lord Sugar's personality, I get the sense that he likes him. Dean's direct, he doesn't overcomplicate things, and Lord Sugar seems to appreciate that."

Although Amber-Rose has lost two tasks as the project manager, Dean has been in the final boardroom four times already - which is the most of the remaining seven candidates. Harpreet has suggested that Dean - who won a task while he was project manager earlier in the process - "needs to step up" this week to avoid ending up in the boardroom again.

She said: "The process is tough because even as a strong candidate, you can end up in a losing team, and your individual abilities might get overlooked – especially if the project manager doesn't take your input on board. He really needs to step up this week and take on the project manager role. We need to see his leadership skills in action again, especially since the female candidates have taken on that responsibility so many times."

Asked who she thinks has what it takes to make it to the final, Harpreet named Anisa Khan and Mia Collins. She said that the pair, who have both won a task each as project manager, have shown a "willingness to step up".

She said: "My opinion on the strongest candidates hasn't changed - by far, it's Anisa and Mia. What stands out most about them is their willingness to step up. Their decisions aren't always perfect, but they back themselves and aren't afraid to take the lead."

Harpreet added: "They've both taken on management roles multiple times, and in doing so, they tend to overshadow everyone else. You can see their drive - they're always pushing forward, and every week, they're fully focused on winning the task."

Amber-Rose, Dean, Anisa and Mia remain in the process alongside Chisola Chitambala, Jordan Dargan, Liam Snellin. Fans will be able to see who's next to leave when the Apprentice continues tonight at 9pm on One and BBC .

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