A Hornchurch mother battling for £250,000 investment on the new series of The Apprentice revealed how she won't let being a mum to two young children "define" her.
Season 20 of the show is set to air on screens at 9pm on January 29, with mortgage advisor Nikki Jetha competing to impress Lord Sugar.
She is following in the footsteps of fellow Hornchurch resident Dean Franklin, who won the last series of the show with his business ADL Air Conditioning.
Nikki revealed she is somewhat of a newcomer to the town, after moving here with her partner.
The 33-year-old said: "I've lived here for five years now. I'm originally from Kent and then after I got married, a few years later we eventually moved here.
"I like it. When I lived with my partner before, we lived in Ilford, and that was a stark difference to Kent. It's much more homely, the people are nice and I've had all my children in Hornchurch. It's perfect."
The 33-year-old businesswoman started her family after settling down in the town, and has two children.
Nikki revealed she experienced a stillbirth following a complicated pregnancy, adding that she shares the story as she knows it "brings a lot of comfort" to those with similar experiences.
She is a keen believer in being able to "have it all", and sees Kim Kardashian as a role model.
Nikki said: "Being a mum is such a blessing but it definitely doesn't define who you are.
"I think a lot of women put themselves on the backburner and I feel like in a lot of my past experiences, a lot of women think 'my life has been put on hold now' because they're a mum, but being a mum doesn't define you.
"You can still be the best mum and do so much more."
Filming for the latest season of The Apprentice took place last year, meaning her children were just one and two whilst she was on set.
Nikki said: "I think it was in a way the perfect time because they were still quite little to understand what was going on, but not so little that I was missing their first moments and things like that."
The mortgage advisor applied for the show after seeing an ad on her phone, having been a "committed Apprentice watcher" since she was young.
"Everyone always said to me in the past 'Nikki you should go' and then it was on the off chance I was scrolling on my phone and the ad came up to apply. So, I just did it from my phone thinking it's not going to go anywhere.
"My family were buzzing [when we found out], they're my biggest supporters.
"Since I was young I'd literally watch every series. It's always been a dream to get on this show."
The show has been known for its early rising hours, with some reports of a wake-up call at around 4am and just 20 minutes to get ready.
Nikki said: "The adrenaline just keeps you going really. There were long days but when you were in the process you were really submerged, you don't have access to your phone of the time or a watch, so you're just guided through.
"You're kind of always on edge but trying to always be on your A game because you don't know what is round the corner.
"I had loads of fun. I'm so glad I did it. It was crazy, it was a really wild journey. I hope I've done them proud."
The mortgage advisor revealed she comes from "a maths background", and has a vision for her work to "streamline" the mortgage process into something like a "Google Maps for mortgages".
She explained: "You know where you're starting, where you want to end up, how long it takes to get there, the route along the way, what you're going to see, what you need to get there."
Share