Last year's winner of The Apprentice backs Bognor's Phil Turner to win as show returns

Speaking to the team at Vibe Pay, last year’s winner Marnie Swindells, said Bognor Regis pie maker Phil Turner is “one to watch” in this year's edition of the show.

The 28-year-old boxing gym owner made clear that she wanted to promote “the idea of everyone being kind to this year’s candidates,” and said Phil Turner's proven experience with Bognor-based business Turner’s Pies, which has a decades-long history in the area, could give him the edge over the competition.

"I've noticed Phil Turner and his pies have a very substantial turnover on Companies House,” she said. “I'd be interested to see if Phil himself carries the same way as his accounts. There's a few gym, fitness, health and wellness offerings this year, which I don't think, prior to me winning last year, there has ever been any of those sorts of businesses on there, so that's interesting.”

Offering advice to contestants looking to emulate her success last year, she said self-confidence was one of the most important traits they could exhibit: “Backing yourself is an important one. There are so many moments where you can waver, and again, seek comfort in numbers, rather than standing alone and really staying true to yourself,” she said.

"If you can get comfortable with being alone in that process, it's a much more pleasant place to be for sure. Because if you are looking for comfort and reassurance against people that you are ultimately in competition with, there are a lot of mind games that you could fall foul to. Honestly, the house and the dynamic of the different friendship groups and characters would be just as interesting to watch as the show itself.

“The other thing is if you are prepared to think independently and get comfortable with being alone, then you can also maintain that sense of integrity, which is important because you have to live with the decisions you make. There were people in my series that quite explicitly and actually, admittedly, make decisions based on who was the most popular, or who carried the most clout, or who they felt was most inclined to win, versus making decisions that represent their own thought process. I came away from that process and knew all my decisions, I stood by. If they were right or wrong at the time, they were still all mine.”

But, if Marnie’s experience is anything to go by, all that self-confidence could well pay off in the end, and there are plenty of opportunities in store for those who hold their nerve and come out on top. Speaking about her first year since winning the show, she said: “It has been very fast paced, it has been really exciting and so many unexpected opportunities have come up. But it’s also been really difficult because I've really felt the need to perform, in order to make sure Lord Sugar has felt proud of his decision, and to make a really good strong impression on him.”

This year’s series of The Apprentice is scheduled to return at 9pm tonight (February 1) on BBC One and IPlayer.