Harpreet Kaur Thakrar has revealed whether she is still in contact with Alan Sugar two years on from having bought him out of her business after winning The Apprentice.
Lord Sugar, now 77, awarded Harpreet, 33, a £250,000 investment for her desserts brand Oh So Yum when she won the BBC show back in 2022. It was then announced in 2023 that she had bought back his shares and she has since left the business herself to pursue other projects.
The entrepreneur reflected on her experience on the Apprentice and shared an update on her relationship with Lord Sugar whilst speaking to the Mirror recently. Harpreet revealed that she’s still in contact with the Amstrad founder and feels that she could turn to him for advice at any time.
Asked about her relationship with Lord Sugar now, she said: “We’re on really good terms. We kind of parted ways really amicably and he’s been in touch quite a lot since.” The former candidate added: “I’ve spoken to him since.”
She continued by sharing in our interview last week: “I feel like Lord Sugar is always there in the background y’know. I feel like if I wanted any advice or wanted to speak to him about other opportunities, I’m sure he would be all ears. So yeah, we’ve got a really good relationship, for sure.”
Harpreet later teased that Lord Sugar is a “very decisive person”. Opening up about what he’s like on the long-running TV show, whilst discussing the new series, she said: “I don’t think he makes any decisions in a rash way.”
Harpreet Kaur Thakrar (right) won investment from Lord Sugar (left) on the Apprentice in 2022 ( Instagram)
She’s since landed her own radio show on the BBC Asian Network ( Instagram)
Harpreet described taking part in the Apprentice as “life changing”. Alongside winning the investment, she ended up getting a relationship out of the experience – with her now married to her co-star Akshay Thakrar, 32. She told us that she also “learned a lot” from being on the show.
She said: “I’ve grown so much in confidence. I’ve been exposed to so many different industries [and] different people that I would never have [otherwise]. Y’know I’ve learnt a lot about myself. I’ve learnt a lot about business.”
Further discussing what else she has taken away from the process, she said: “I’m more confident and the other biggest thing I’ve got now is I’ve got such a supportive community. Y’know as the first South Asian winner of the show, I’ve got so much backing from my community, which has just been amazing and I’m really, really grateful for that. Y’know they’re always championing and supporting me.”
She’s also a public speaker and gave a presentation at a TEDx event last month ( Instagram)
Harpreet met her husband Akshay Thakrar on the BBC show more than three years ago ( Instagram)
Harpreet – who’s just moved to London with her husband – teased of the future: “I’ve got a really exciting business opportunity in the works as we speak. So I’m gonna get my head down for a few months and then hopefully I can reveal all. […] I’ve got quite a few exciting things coming up.”
Asked if she’s open to more TV projects, she said that there had been “opportunities” previously that she wasn’t able to pursue because she was running a business. She said: “I do think that moving to London now I’ll definitely be open to other media opportunities and other TV roles.” Harpreet concluded: “If there’s an opportunity that fits and aligns with me then I’d definitely be open to it.”
