Stella English is well-known for winning the Sixth season of The Apprentice – a show that pitted business hopefuls against one another in an effort to become the apprentice of Lord Alan Sugar.
Stella won the coveted prize, which led to her working alongside Lord Sugar. However, their relationship would turn infamously sour, ending in a lawsuit.
But what came of Stella English and where is she now? We provide the full story below, from the highs to the lows and everything inbetween.
The Apprentice
Stella entered the sixth season of The Apprentice. At the time of entering the show, she worked at a Japanese investment bank, courting a six-figure income.
She heavily impressed on the show, winning several tasks, including as project manager. In fact, she won seven of the first eight tasks, including twice as project manager.
Stella beat Chris Bates in the final. The series was also known for contestants Stuart Baggs and Liz Locke. Yet Stella won, which was expected to be the start of a successful future.
Working for Sugar’s Viglen company
Like the five previous winners of the show, Stella was awarded with a role at one of Lord Sugar’s businesses. Prior to Stella, the previous winners (for the most part), had succeeded with Sugar.
Stella worked at Sugar’s IT company Viglen. She received a wage of £100,000 per year. However, she resigned after 12 months.
Stella would later describe herself as an “overpaid lackey” and a “glorified PA” at Viglen, and said that she spent the year doing “menial jobs”.
Stella claimed that she was forced to resign. As a result, she brought a constructive dismissal case against Lord Sugar, taking him to court.
The Lawsuit
The case went to a tribunal court. But unfortunately for Stella, the tribunal dismissed the case, suggesting the case “should never have been brought” and was “ill-advised”.
In an unfortunate turn of events, Stella was soon pictured outside of a JobCentre. In the aftermath, she appeared on the TV show Daybreak on ITV, where she claimed to have just £90 in her bank.
Lord Sugar was not sympathetic, saying that he was “afraid she underestimated me and her reputation is now in tatters”.
Comeback
After a challenging period, Stella was able to make a comeback. She soon became a Commercial Manager for YouView. She later worked for a the giant financial services company Citi.
Stella continued to go from strength to strength. She then worked as a Management Consultant for computer giant HP. Stella also dabbled in some TV presenting for crowdfunding TV channel Crowdbox.
Stella offers motivational speaking currently, working with The Motivational Speakers Agency. Aside from this, she spends time caring for her children.
Personal Life
Following her departure from Viglen and the unsuccessful lawsuit, Stella’s personal life became affected. She split up with her husband Ray, despite them sharing two children. Ray subsequently blamed the show for their split.
Stella would tell the Daily Mirror at the time that “the day that Ray left me he said ‘I wish you had never done that show’”, resulting in Stella saying “I just didn’t know what to say”.
However, things would later improve for Stella. She met snooker professional Ali Carter in 2016, and they had a child together in 2017. Unfortunately, Ali and Stella would later go their separate ways.
The Takeaway
Fortunately for Stella, she looks back on her time on the show fondly. She said in a past interview that she had no regrets about going on The Apprentice, and was proud of winning it.
She has since bounced back, and appears to be enjoying a successful career once again. Hopefully for Stella, she’ll continue to flourish!
