The single mother-of-two has just started a new job with drainage specialists Future Environmental Services (FES) based at Walton Summit, near Bamber Bridge, after getting the bullet from Sir Alan Sugar.

And today she told the Evening Post she would never go back on the BBC1 hit show.

She claims her family, who live in a small community in Ireland, had been "turned upside down" by the show in which she reached the final stages, eventually finishing fourth.

But she denied reports that she was suffering a breakdown after the programme and said she is now "raring to go" in her new job, which has already brought her to Lancashire on a number of occasions.

Lorraine said: "My family never signed up for a reality television show. They live in a small town in Ireland and from their point of view it has ruined their reputation there.

"If I had my chance again, there is no way I would do it again. The whole experience has been a very tough lesson for me to learn.

"I have no experience working with the media and I just hope that anyone thinking of taking on The Apprentice next year thinks about it.

"I was the cannon fodder this year and I am sure next year there will be someone just like me."

She also hit out at the show's producers saying she was portrayed as being "all about gut instinct" and a victim of bullying by fellow contestants because of how it was edited.

The 36-year-old said: "I was disappointed at that because I am a professional person and I think I came across as Mystic Meg rather than someone with a lot of experience in business."

Now, she said she is looking to use her experiences for her new job as an account manager for FES, which will see her working from her home in Kent, but bring her to the business development division's headquarters in Lancashire on a regular basis.

She said: "I know FES from my previous job doing a similar role at DynoRod before I went on the show. It is a great stepping stone to where I want to be. I am ambitious but I am really looking forward to this challenge."

Her boss Martyn Hopkinson, business development director at the firm, said: "Lorraine has been working for us for the last few months. Obviously, we had to keep it low key while the show was still on, but now we can let the world know we have her."

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