A FORMER Taunton librarian was unveiled as one of the 15 candidates trying to get their hands on a £250,000 investment from Lord Alan Sugar on the BBC's The Apprentice in 2019.

Lottie Lion, 19, came into the show's 15th series as by describing herself as "very cut-throat" and insisting that she is "no pushover".

Going into the process, Lottie believed her poise and her "powers of persuasion" were her greatest business qualities.

Well-known for her clash with fellow Apprentice star, Jemelin Artigas, Lottie was labelled as controversial by many who watch the hit BBC TV show.

Lottie shared a clip from the task that showed the candidates struggling to remember the dates of World War II.

"I am the only candidate of 12 who knew when WW2 was," she wrote.

"This isn’t a brag, but an important reminder to educate your children on the heritage of your country."

Jemelin then replied to the post and referred back to accusations of racism against Lottie, writing: "Also very important to teach your kids about racial equality and how to be a kind human being a lot more important than this."

The BBC later condemned the alleged remark as "wholly unacceptable" when they addressed the incident last week, and Jemelin's comment prompted another reply from Lottie in which she insisted: "This is between the BBC and myself."

Approached by Metro.co.uk Ms Lion said: “Myself and Ryan Mark did impressions of six candidates on The Apprentice last night during our Insta Live.

"I’m aware that one person took offence to this and I can only apologise.

"This was not my intention and it was only meant to be some light entertainment for my fans during these difficult times.”

Lottie Lion appeared on BBC's The Apprentice when she was just 19. (Image: PA) Whilst she did not have a legal background during her time on the BBC show in 2019, Lottie started studying law and social sciences at Bristol University in 2021, after announcing it on her Instagram account.

The former candidate has built up a huge following online and now has almost 80k followers on Instagram and nowadays you will find her normally documenting her travels around the world.

The now 25-year-old regularly posts online via TikTok and Instagram and revealed some 'truths' about what went into the making of the series when she appeared in 2019 before she was fired in week 11.

Her claims also include that Lord Sugar's receptionist is an actress, while the boardroom is a filming studio on the outskirts of London.

Studying at Richard Huish College and being a librarian at Bishop Fox's School, Lottie said the producers read letters sent to her by her gran, deleting sections to keep her in the dark about the latest news.

She says in a video: "You live in the house the entire time. You're not allowed to leave.

"You're not allowed to know any world news, so I didn't know some basic current affairs that happened while we were filming."