Maria O'Connor : 'Drug Arrest Was Worse Than The Apprentice Sacking'

Sir Alan Sugar handed The Apprentice reject Maria O'Connor a wake-up call when he fired her for falling asleep during the show's second task, but she admits it's nothing like the shock she got when her home was raided in a drugs bust.

Just over two years ago, the restaurateur found herself thrown into the cells after police arrested her alongside her suspected drug dealer boyfriend.

Maria was later released without charge, and she vowed to make something of her life.

The 20-year-old opened Greek eatery Elizavet in Sandwich, Kent at the age of 19 and the "headstrong" business woman took life by the horns after gaining an insight into the criminal world.

She told The Sun: "He dragged me down. Getting arrested was quite scary. The minute I found out he was a drug dealer I dumped him. I'm not that sort of girl. I've worked hard since I was 15. In my teens, my mates were getting drunk but I was working hard. As soon as I realised what was going on, I didn't want to know him."

The cameras caught Maria napping on The Apprentice during a challenge which saw the boys and girls go head-to-head as they had to design and sell a kitchen or bathroom.

The former contestant blamed her exhaustion on project manager Jane McEvoy, who she claims woke her up in the early hours "drying her hair".

Maria said: "Jane should have gone because she chose the wrong product. She's a b**ch... I only fell asleep because she was banging about at 4am doing her hair and I didn't go to bed until midnight."

Despite her sacking, Maria isn't bitter about her experience - she felt honoured to meet Sir Alan, saying: "The best thing was getting to meet Alan Sugar. Look, he can be an a**ehole or a lovely bloke, it's up to him - at the end of the day he's still made millions and I respect that."

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