Carina Lepore was crowned the winner of The Apprentice 2019 on Wednesday, beating rival Scarlett Allen-Horton to Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment.
The artisan bakery owner, 30, took home the title in the all-female final after wowing the boardroom with her presentation, advert and brand concept for Lepore’s Bakery.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Carina credited never losing focus with her win in the BBC reality show, while taking a swipe at some of her fellow contestants motivations’ behind taking part.
You’re hired! Carina Lepore was crowned the winner of The Apprentice 2019 on Wednesday, beating rival Scarlett Allen-Horton to Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment
Carina- who was jokingly dubbed ‘the baker who’s not a baker’ during her time on the show, said:’I was there for business, I wasn’t on there for a TV career…
‘My focus was always on winning the competition. I never pulled focus. I went in to win it and I don’t regret anything. I stand by all my decisions.
‘All of us have an unbreakable bond because we have been through this crazy experience together.’
Emotional: Carina broke down as she was announced the winner of The Apprentice 2019 on Wednesday night’s final
Carina’s comments come after axed candidate Dean Ahmad laid into controversial contestant Lottie Lion, saying she was on the show for ‘other reasons.’
Speaking to MailOnline last week, he branded the 19-year-old librarian a ‘bit of a nightmare’ and added: ‘I think the viewers can make their own judgement on her.
‘You’ve got four out of five candidates with business acumen but I think it’s quite obvious that some people are on the show for other reasons potentially.’
Fellow teen candidate Ryan-Mark Parsons, 19, was also publicly accused on Twitter of ‘just going on the telly to be famous’ by 2014 winner Mark Wright.
Hit back: Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Carina credited never losing focus with her win in the BBC reality show, while taking a swipe at some of her fellow contestants
Although she wouldn’t be drawn on who she believed was on the show to pursue a TV career, Carina said: ‘The only common ground I had with everyone was their desire to progress in the world of business. That was what we had in common.
‘As far as I’m concerned, Lottie was there to start her business, that’s all I want to say on the matter.’
Discussing the moment Lord Sugar said the magical words to her in the boardroom, Carina said: ‘It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s incredible, I’ve won The Apprentice. Like I saw his finger point at me and I had only ever seen it on TV, watching at home with my mum.
Cheers: Although initially worried about how ‘scale-able’ Carina’s family-run bakery would be when it expanded, Lord Sugar took the chance on the ‘pocket-rocket baker’ and the new business venture after an impressive presentation
‘I can’t believe I won.
‘I knew Scarlett was going to be in the final with me. I also thought Pamela was a contender but I had faith in my business plan. Scarlett was a strong contender.
The final task saw Carina reunite with axed candidates Pamela, 29, Ryan-Mark, 19, Jemelin Artigas, 28 and Thomas Skinner, 28 – with a stellar final advert depicting Ryan-Mark as a prisoner enjoying Lepore’s Bakery’s sourdough bread even raising a smile from Lord Sugar.
Although initially worried about how ‘scale-able’ Carina’s family-run bakery would be when it expanded, Lord Sugar took the chance on the ‘pocket-rocket baker’ and the new business venture after an impressive presentation.
Reunited: The final task saw Carina reunite with axed candidates Pamela, 29, Ryan-Mark, 19, Jemelin Artigas, 28 and Thomas Skinner, 28
The final presentation started with a slight hiccup after Carina had to restart her presentation after she ‘blanked out.’
She said: ‘I had a moment when I wasn’t sure what I was about to say or where I was going. It’s such a huge audience and venue that I blanked out. But I started again and it went so well.
‘The final task was a highlight of the series for me. That and getting through the final interviews was amazing.
‘I don’t regret anything, I stick by every decision I made and it was very close in the final boardroom.’
Oops: The final presentation started with a slight hiccup after Carina had to restart her presentation after she ‘blanked out’
The 15th series of the show has been rocked by scandal off-screen.
Lottie Lion was forced to deny accusations of racism, bullying and homophobia made against her after it was reported she told fellow contestant Lubna Farhan, 33, to ‘Shut up, Gandhi’ in a private WhatsApp group conversation, in an incident after filming on the show had ended.
The BBC later described the comments Lottie had made as being ‘wholly unacceptable’.
Lottie later said she felt there has been ‘a huge lack of support’ from the BBC. She also claimed she was dropped from the after-show process after giving an interview to a national newspaper in which she criticised the BBC.
Denial: The 15th series of the show has been rocked by scandal off-screen. Lottie Lion was forced to deny accusations of racism, bullying and homophobia made against her
Lewis Ellis, 28, also slammed the hit BBC show for not looking out for the welfare of its contestants.
The Digital Marketing Project Manager claimed that living in the contestant’s mansion was ‘like a prison’ and even says his hair fell out due to stress.
The Apprentice spokesperson hit back with: ‘ ‘There are strict rules about contact with the outside world to avoid cheating and everyone has to be treated in the same way as it is a competition.
‘This is made clear to the candidates before they agree to take part. Additional contact with home is facilitated for candidates with children.’
Prison: Lewis Ellis, 28, also slammed the hit BBC show for not looking out for the welfare of its contestants. He claimed that living in the contestant’s mansion was ‘like a prison’
Commenting on the drama in the house, Carina said: ‘We (Scarlett and I) stayed out of it. We never got involved in anything like that. We kept our focus on the competition the whole time.
Praising the team behind the scenes, she said: ‘I felt completely supported by the team and there was always support in place if we needed it. I don’t know what Lewis saw, I wasn’t followed to the toilets and didn’t see any producers sleeping outside our doors. It was a positive experience for me.’
‘We had a curfew to make sure we got enough sleep. I liked the fact there was a curfew in place, it helped us keep focused for the next day’s competition.
‘I would rather go to bed at 9pm or 10pm then be up all hours and not have the energy to do my best. It was a good thing.’
Staying out of it: Commenting on the drama in the house, Carina said, ‘We (Scarlett and I) stayed out of it. We never got involved in anything like that’
Carina is now determined 2020 will be her biggest year yet as she partners with Lord Sugar to expand her business – which will still operate under the Dough Artisan Bakery.
She aims to open two new stores in the next three years.
She said: ‘I am excited to work with Lord Sugar and grow my business, I cannot wait and I respect him so much as a businessman.’
Successful: Carina is now determined 2020 will be her biggest year yet as she partners with Lord Sugar to expand her business – which will still operate under the Dough Artisan Bakery
Carina narrowly beat recruitment company owner Scarlett Allen-Horton, 32, to the crown.
Scarlett’s business plan was a female only engineering focused executive search company named Stanton Lily.
Mother-of-two Scarlett moved a group of experts and investors when she discussed leaving school at 16, falling pregnant at 19 and building a successful career in recruitment for her family.
Welcoming her second daughter when she was 24, Scarlett suffered a blow when the bump when her children’s father Clayton Stephenson was jailed over his role in a £1.6million drug smuggling plot in 2013.
Stephenson, of Ward End, Birmingham, was sentenced to six years and eight months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, plus a further eight months to run consecutively for dangerous driving, reported the Birmingham Mail at the time.
In 2016, Stephenson was given an additional eight years for helping to organise a multi-million cocaine and heroin deal while in prison reports The Mirror.
Beaten: Carina narrowly beat Scarlett Allen-Horton, 32, to the crown. Scarlett’s business plan was a female only engineering focused executive search company named Stanton Lily
Scarlett now raises her children as a single mother after leaving her partner, with family being her reason ‘for everything.’
She said: ‘I am so disappointed that I didn’t win, but Carina was a very worthy candidate and I couldn’t be happier for her.
‘It came down to whether Lord Sugar wanted to go for a different business in a field he was experienced in or something completely different such as Carina’s bakery.
Emotional: Mother-of-two Scarlett moved a group of experts and investors when she discussed leaving school at 16, falling pregnant at 19 and building a successful career
‘I don’t think I could have done anymore, I gave my everything and it is a great business proposition.
‘I honestly couldn’t call it when we went into that final boardroom. It was close between us.’
‘Everything I do is for my family and my family’s future. I have picked myself up and got through difficult times to get to where I am today. It’s been the making of me.
‘Everyone knows about my early years and my partner going to prison, it was tough but I kept my focus and just got on with it.
‘I took the whole experience day by day, I never had it in my head that I wanted to get to a certain week. I got on with it.’
Reunited: Scarlett was joined in the final task by Lottie, Dean Ahmad, 20, Marianne Hawkins, 36, and Lewis – with her advert set to Eye of The Tiger
Scarlett was joined in the final task by Lottie, Dean Ahmad, 20, Marianne Hawkins, 36, and Lewis – with her advert set to Eye of The Tiger and featuring her team driving an imaginary car raising eyebrows among industry experts.
A defiant Scarlett said: ‘The vision for the advert was excellent but the execution wasn’t. But it still got everyone talking and that’s what a good advert is about.’
Discussing her proudest and lowest moments in the competition, she said: ‘The most proud I felt was during the Oxford and Cambridge buying task. It was fun and we did well.
‘The lowest moment was the Tommy The Turtle task. I knew straight away it was the wrong age range and that it was about to go very wrong for us.’
Scarlett will now plough ahead with her recruitment agency and said it’s not the last we will hear from her in the world of business.
The ‘pocket rocket’ set to make Lord Sugar millions: Apprentice winner Carina Lepore rescued her father’s burned-down bakery by opening a trendy cafe for him to work at – while raising her model son as a single mum
London café owner Carina Lepore tonight triumphed over Scarlett Allen-Horton to crowned the winner of this year’s Apprentice – and Lord Sugar’s next business partner.
But the success of this self-described ‘pocket rocket’ entrepreneur extends far beyond the boardroom.
For Carina, 30, has spent the last year working tirelessly to salvage her father’s dream of owning a bakery after his first venture – a modest but much-loved lunch spot in south London – burnt down in 2016.
Now the businesswoman is the proud owner of Dough Bakehouse, a trendy, Instagram-friendly café under the railway arches of Herne Hill train station, that serves up smoothies, coffee and fresh bakes to a legion of devoted fans.
London café owner Carina Lepore tonight triumphed over Scarlett Allen-Horton to crowned the winner of this year’s Apprentice – and Lord Sugar’s next business partner
Carina with her father Carlos and sister Rachelle at Dough Bakehouse in Herne Hill, south London
Carina, 30, pictured in glamorous Instagram snaps, has spent the last year working tirelessly to salvage her father’s dream of owning a bakery after his first venture burnt down in 2016.
The mother has built up the business while raising her son Lucas, seven, a child model who has posed for Marks & Spencer and River Island (pictured together)
Not only that, but she has built up the business while raising her son Lucas, seven, a child model who has posed for Marks & Spencer and River Island.
With her extraordinary work ethic and ambitions for a national chain (she wants Dough to take on Greggs) it is of little surprise Lord Sugar chose to give Carina the £250,000 investment – even after dubbing her the ‘baker who doesn’t bake’.
Entrepreneurial spirit is in Carina’s blood.
Her father, Carlos Lepore, founded Ye Olde Bakery, in Herne Hill in 2009, alongside business partner and fellow baker David Bell. No details are known about Carina’s mother.
Together with her lookalike sister Rachelle, Carina launched a ‘new, modern’ bakery and coffee shop. Pictured, Carina takes a sip of an iced drink outside the popular London eatery
Carina strikes a pose in a festive snap shared recently, left, and in a trendy white outfit, right
Hard-working Carina shared this snap in 2017 with the caption: ‘I’m a go getter so ima go get it’
Speaking to a local newspaper in 2013, Mr Bell told how he learnt ‘everything he knows’ about baking from his mentor Mr Lepore.
Together the men built up a modest bakery with a devoted following. TripAdvisor reviews celebrated the sandwiches and traditional pies, which were served up alongside a variety of fresh loafs, including an Irish Soda Bread from Mr Bell’s mother’s recipe.
The bakery became so popular that lunchtimes became a scramble. ‘Avoid the lunchtime rush hour,’ one visitor warned on TripAdvisor. ‘Things can get pretty mad in there and it isn’t uncommon for a queue to develop that leads right outside the shop.’
Carina, pictured with her winning team made up of former candidates Thomas Skinner, Pamela Laird, Jemelin Artigas and Ryan-Mark Parsons
A quick glance at Carina’s Instagram account reveals the close relationship she shares with her son, Lucas. She posted this mirror selfie from a visit to Centre Parcs in October
Seven-year-old Lucas has modelled for big name brands including Marks & Spencer and River Island. Pictured, Lucas strikes a pose in photos from the M&S website shared by Carine
Snaps of Carina and Lucas Disneyland and posing on sunny summer holidays appear on her feed. Pictured, Carina and her ‘star boy’ in a photo shared on Instagram in September
Newspaper reports suggest the bakery relocated to Dough’s current location under the Herne Hill station railway arches in 2016 and reopened under a new name, Bel Ore Artisan Bakehouse.
But any plans for building on the success of Ye Olde Bakery were cut short when a fire broke out on the premises in May 2017, burning down part of the bakery.
Speaking to media mogul Claudine Collins in last week’s interview round, Carina told her how she took it upon herself to step in and help her father.
‘His bakery burnt down,’ she said. ‘I thought, “If there is any way I can help him”. I’ve always wanted a coffee shop, he bakes, so I thought we would merge the two.’
Carina told her how she took it upon herself to step in and help her father. Pictured, the glamorous mother-of-one in photos shared on Instagram this month (left) and in November
Carina, pictured on holiday in Spain in July, dominated in Apprentice tasks and became the most successful candidate ever. Lord Sugar will be hoping for more success going forward
Together with her lookalike sister Rachelle, Carina launched a ‘new, modern’ bakery and coffee shop. Rachelle described Carina as her
Dough prides itself in warm, personal customer services – and its range of freshly-baked loafs, cakes, pastries and smoothies.
Becoming emotional, Carina admitted to Claudine that her father still hadn’t praised her for the tireless work she had put into the business.
‘Even to this day, he has never said: “I am really proud of you”,’ she revealed, before admitting she has adopted the same hard exterior when parenting her own son.
A quick glance at Carina’s Instagram account reveals the close relationship she shares with Lucas. Snaps of the pair kissing at Disneyland and posing on sunny summer holidays appear on her feed alongside pictures of his latest modelling jobs.
Carina, far right, strikes a pose with baker David Bell, far left, and other members of Dough Bakehouse staff in a photo shared on the company website
Dough prides itself in warm, personal customer services – and its range of freshly-baked loafs, cakes, pastries and smoothies. Pictured, Carina outside the London coffee shop
Together with her lookalike sister Rachelle, Carina launched a ‘new, modern’ bakery and coffee shop. Rachelle described Carina as her
Dough prides itself in warm, personal customer services – and its range of freshly-baked loafs, cakes, pastries and smoothies.
Becoming emotional, Carina admitted to Claudine that her father still hadn’t praised her for the tireless work she had put into the business.
‘Even to this day, he has never said: “I am really proud of you”,’ she revealed, before admitting she has adopted the same hard exterior when parenting her own son.
A quick glance at Carina’s Instagram account reveals the close relationship she shares with Lucas. Snaps of the pair kissing at Disneyland and posing on sunny summer holidays appear on her feed alongside pictures of his latest modelling jobs.
Carina beat recruitment consultant Scarlett Allen-Horton, left, to be crowned the winner. The businesswomen supported each other throughout the process
Scarlett, pictured centre in last week’s episode, had warned her fellow candidates not to underestimate her. Pictured, with Lottie, Scarlett, Pamela and Lewis
This sense of ambition and self-assurance translated into the tasks, where Carina dominated and became the most successful Apprentice candidate ever.
Not only was Carina never been brought back to the final boardroom, but she won nine out of the 10 challenges and is the only candidate in Apprentice history to win three tasks as project manager by the end of week 10.
Before starting the show, Carina said other candidates not to underestimate her because of her south London accent because she could ‘put on a suit and be the full package’.
Future business rivals would do well to heed the same warning.