Adam Hosker
Car Sales Manager Adam, 27, grew up on a council estate and boasts that he now earns three times the salary of the kids he went to school with. His ambition is to run an internationally successful company. “My strengths and my weaknesses are often the same thing – on occasion my confidence can become arrogance.”

Lohit Kalburgi
Telecoms Manager The 25-year-old entrepreneur was born in the United Arab Emirates and has been a resident of five different countries. He started his first company when he was 16 and describes himself as a cool, rational thinker with natural flair. “I would like people to see me as the nice guy. My game plan is to be myself and get on with things.”

Simon Ambrose
Internet Entrepreneur Simon, 27, was made redundant from his last job as an investment banker and has since tried his hand at a number of internet-based entrepreneurial ideas. He describes himself as competitive, proud and ambitious, and claims to do his best work under pressure.

Tre Azam
Marketing and Design Consultant Forthright, opinionated and a bit of a maverick, Tre is this year’s Syed. He started work aged 10, building PCs in his father’s factory. By 16 he was teaching clients how to build computers and at 17 he was working in his family’s software and hardware business throughout Europe and Asia, before running the company’s US operations. But he’s back in time to ruffle a few feathers in this series.

Paul Callaghan
Ex-Army Lieutenant Paul, 27, trained at Sandhurst and became HR Manager for the Army before being posted to Iraq as Infantry Commander, spending six months serving in Basra. “My lack of commercial experience might be a weakness but my leadership and organisational qualities are definite strengths,” he claims. The News of the World reported that Paul had an affair with Katie Hopkins. Unlike the Syed/Michelle romance this will be featured on the show.

Ifti Chaudhri Fired in Week 2
Company Director Ifti is the quintessential over-achiever – he built his successful tile business from scratch, has ambitions of owning his own leisure centre and is currently applying to join the Tae Kwon Do team for the 2012 Olympics. “When you can break bricks with your hands you believe in your head you can do anything, and in business I take on the same ethic.”

Rory Laing Fired in Week 2
Bankrupt Entrepreneur Rory is a self-confessed risk-taker and, although he employed over 700 staff across his three previous companies, he was recently made bankrupt.”People say to me, ‘learn from your experiences’. Well I’m bored of learning from experience, I’ve had enough of them,” the 27-year-old says. “It’s time now to cash in on it.” Rory, from Bristol, is said to have previously employed Prince William's girlfriend Kate Middleton in his catering company.

Andy Jackson Fired in Week 1
Car Salesman Father-of-three car salesman Andy loves nothing better than making money – his hobbies include playing online poker, buying and selling cars, and trading on eBay. “My passions are winning, winning and winning,” the 36-year-old says.

Dr Sophie Kain Fired in Week 4
Quantum Physicist - Sophie has a PhD in Theoretical Physics and works as a research scientist for an aviation and shipping design company. But it wasn’t always that way – as a teenager Sophie used to sweep the floor at a hair salon. She boasts that she is one of the few people who can use both sides of their brain effectively: “I can understand the technical side of things but also have vision.”

Katie Hopkins
Global Brand Consultant and single mum of two - Katie was sponsored through university by the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and claims she can ‘out press up’ most men. “My ambition is to be CEO of a large global brand builder by 40.” Was revealed to have married her boss Damian McKinney, CEO of his own international business consultantcy and 15years her senior, in 2002 and had one daughter and being pregnant with her second before the marriage broke down.

Jadine Johnson
Financial advisor and single mum - Shortly after becoming a young single mother, Jadine won a place at university but quit to support her daughter. She moved into banking and was promoted three times in her first year. Jadine has a starring role in the first episode of series 3.

Naomi Lay
Advertising Sales Manager - Naomi, 26, worked her way up the advertising industry career ladder rising from PA to Sales Team Manager is just three years. She has also spent time in Sierra Leone where her father worked in diamond and gold mining. “People that know me would describe me as loud, motivated, fun, determined, compassionate and energetic.”

Kristina Grimes
Pharmaceutical Sales Manager - Kristina, 36, is a ruthless single mother who worked her way through a Maths degree while caring for her young child. She believes The Apprentice is her ticket to success. “To me, Sir Alan is an inspiration – where he started, what he has achieved and his directness.”

Ghazal Asif
Youngest ever Apprentice candidate - The 23-year-old Glaswegian speaks five languages and plans to be a millionaire by the time she’s 30. If she doesn’t get hired by Sir Alan, Ghazal plans to establish her own business in fashion.

Gerri Blackwood Fired in Week 3
Transport Development Manager - Gerri, 33, was offered a job with MI5 on the same day as she found out her application for The Apprentice was successful. Lucky for us, she chose Sir Alan over James Bond. “It’s easy to have confidence when you are a big fish in your own pond, but to suddenly be thrown into a sea of sharks you have a bit of a reality check,” she says.

Natalie Wood Fired in Week 5
Housewife with a business degree - The mum of two is a former city girl whose first job was as a receptionist in a car dealership. Natalie believes she will thrive under Sir Alan’s blunt and brutal management. “I admire Sir Alan’s achievements and attitude, I like the way he is with people. Who needs the truth wrapped up with fairy lights? Say it how it is!”

Taken from Wikipedia