The Apprentice 2022 candidate Shama Amin quits series due to health reasons

The Apprentice 2022 candidate Shama Amin steps down from the show in this weekend’s episode.

The business hopeful is seen departing the BBC One series due to health reasons.

Shama says in the latest instalment: “I would just like to say something, Lord Sugar if that’s OK. I suffer from a condition called rheumatoid arthritis.

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

Lord Alan reacts: “Well Shama, I’m really sad to hear that. I wish you and your family all the best for the future.”

Shama later says: “Mentally, I was strong enough to carry on. But my body wasn’t allowing me to carry on. So I had no choice but to make a difficult decision like that.”

41-year-old Shama from Bradford currently works as the owner of children’s nursery.

She said of signing up for the show: “Being a lady of colour, wearing a headscarf as well, and the challenges that we face on a daily basis, I just want to be a living example for the Asian women and South Asian women out there.”

The unplanned exit leaves 13 candidates fighting for Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment.

The contestants have been split into teams of men and women for the first two challenge, with two men departing so far after losing both tasks.

The Apprentice continues at 9PM on BBC One and iPlayer on Thursday nights.

In this week’s episode, Lord Sugar asks the candidates to meet him at Mercato Metropolitano in Mayfair, a former church turned foodie temple offering artisan food and drink from around the world.

Their next task is creating and branding a new non-alcoholic drink and hosting a launch event where they will be pitching and selling to leading retailers.

One team plays it safe with flavours but struggles to replicate a key ingredient. Meanwhile, a fruity late addition in the other team’s drink isn’t to everyone’s taste.

At their launch events, both teams pour on the charm with their retailers, but with the drinks proving somewhat hard to swallow, sales are a struggle