A CANDIDATE on The Apprentice has claimed she was attacked off-camera by her teammates.
Technology recruiter Shazia Hussain features in the current series of the hit BBC One show.
Shazia said she had made a complaint about bullying over a task where the hopefuls had to create a new pre-school cartoon aimed at two to four-year-olds.
Shazia said she came up with the idea of an Indian giraffe called Yogita.
In a video shared to her TikTok account she said: “I was actually really attacked for the name Yogita, which I can confirm happened really severely off camera.
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“But the footage that they did capture on camera didn’t make it into the edit because I think that the viewers would have found it really disturbing, because at the end of the day we’re just trying to make a little cartoon character about an Indian giraffe.”
“In all seriousness, in all of my career, I’ve never ever felt as bad as I felt when they removed me off that pitch because my experience in reality would have been an asset on that pitch and because I was so passionate about Yogita.
“Also, I’m an Asian female and we’re talking about representation and after that task I did actually have to report it (the bullying was logged) in all seriousness, I actually felt unsafe in that house living with that level of animosity that was directed at me.”
Shazia then said: “Which begs the question, did that team actually understand what diversity and inclusion is and do they even now understand what diversity and inclusion is?
“Or do they seriously still think that Yogita is vile, horrible, toxic and awful?
“Also, in the boardroom it was stated that the panel of experts absolutely loved the name Yogita and it was one of the main reasons why we did win that task.
“And also, one of the things that I found really interesting was that we actually all agreed to an animal collectively and we all came up with that idea but it was seen as though it was just, you know, like quite a singular effort.
“But with regards to the name, that was my idea and that was what made the cartoon unique and without it there would have actually not been much diversity inclusion.
“I really hope that they’ve all learnt something from when a DNI specialist was called to the house to speak to them about their understanding of what DNI is and also to remind them about what bullying is as well.”
A BBC spokesperson told The Sun: "As soon as Shazia raised a concern an investigation was conducted and she received in-person support from senior members of the production team.
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"The Apprentice has a strict code of conduct, we take all complaints very seriously and investigate when needed.
"As a result, when action is required, we take it. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment. Duty of care to all our candidates is our highest priority."
WANNABE APPRENTICE
In the run-up to appearing on the show, Shazia said she has championed a wide range of diverse women in the world of business.
She said: "My USP is my ADHD, which means I can process information faster than others.
"This often means that my reaction time is quicker, and I look at things differently."
Shazia has also claimed she doesn't "need any friends in business" and is determined to win the competition.
Season 17 of the reality show once again sees Lord Alan Sugar and his aides on the hunt for the next entrepreneur to receive the prized £250,000 investment.
The most recent person to leave the show was antiques dealer and councillor Gregory Ebbs who was given the boot by Lord Sugar.
Recently, previous Apprentice winner Harpreet Kaur admitted that women shouldn't be afraid to be sexy in business.
The entrepreneur, who last year for her dessert parlour business, Oh So Yum, said women can be unfairly criticised for looking glamorous in the workplace.
Earlier this month, Harpreet spilled the beans on some of the best kept secrets from the BBC One show.
