The Apprentice - Leah wins

The 24-year-old high-flying medic stands to win a £250,000 partnership with the famed entrepreneur and aims to use the money to open a chain of cosmetic surgeries.

Beforehand, the parents of Londonderry doctor Leah Totton spoke of their pride as she bids to become the first person from Northern Ireland to win the coveted title of Lord Alan Sugar’s The Apprentice.

The 24-year-old high-flying medic stood to win a £250,000 partnership with the famed entrepreneur and aims to use the money to open a chain of cosmetic surgeries.

The two hour long show began tonight on BBC1 at 8pm and should the Waterside woman defeat her rival,Luisa Zissman, there will be none more proud of her achievements than her parents Trevor and Lorraine Totton, sister Jodi and brother Dale. Ten members of Leah’s family were in London to support her through her final trial and will be gripped as the last drama unfolds tonight. They will not know the outcome until this evening.

Leah’s family said this morning they would not know in advance of the airing of The Apprentice tonight whether or not she had won.

Parents, Trevor and Lorraine have been in London since the weekend but had no contact with their daughter as she faced the tasks devised for her in order to see if she could earn the quarter of a million pound prize that will set her on the path to fulfilling her ambition of setting up a chain of aesthetic surgeries.

Dad Trevor Totton told the Londonderry Sentinel: “We are absolutely, very proud of Leah. She seemed to enjoy the experience and get on very well with the other contestants who are a good bunch of people, although I know that the way the programme was edited would sometimes make that appear otherwise.”

Asked if he was surprised by his daughter’s steely determination and ambition, Mr Totton said: “Leah was always looking for something more. There seems to be no limit to what she can do at all. We were extremely proud when she became a doctor, never mind what she has achieved now in The Apprentice. We have been living on our nerves for weeks, with just a few hours sleep a night.”

The process to become The Apprentice has been a long and tough one with Leah Totton successfully outwitting a series of highly intelligent and ambitious rivals to make it to the final.

“The prize is so great- to have a partnership with Lord Sugar would be unbelievable, never mind the moneatry prize which is also huge.”