“ON THE SHOW, I OFTEN WORE RED LIPSTICK BECAUSE IT MADE ME FEEL STRONG.”

At 24, Andrea was not only the youngest person on Apprentice Asia (which aired in May), the civil and commercial litigator was also the only contestant with no business experience.

But in the end, the gutsy girl aced everything from selling fish to designing uniforms, and impressed judge and Airasia boss Tony Fernandes enough to make it to the top two before she narrowly lost to Jonathon Yabut from the Philippines. She tells us how the experience pushed her to finally leave her legal career behind.

So, we heard you gave up law...

sales positions but, as I have no business experience, I’m not looking to jump into an MNC and take on a managerial position. I hope to get on a management trainee programme so I can learn the ropes from the ground up. I’d had my mind set on being a lawyer since I was a kid... until I realised a year and a half into my job that it wasn’t what I had hoped it would be. The work was incredibly solitary and I didn’t want a job that required me to work alone in an office. My experience on the show gave me the courage to resign some months back.

Are you inundated with job offers now?

I’ve gotten great offers for marketing and

Is your onscreen persona the real deal?

I was definitely portrayed as hard-edged and aggressive... People always say I’m much nicer in person! That said, I do have a competitive side and I’m not ashamed of it. You have to be tough to last on the show.

How did Tony match up to Donald Trump?

Tony is much more laid-back when the cameras aren’t rolling. Once, the crew had to do multiple takes of him walking up and down the stairs of an airplane for a promo video. He flirted good-naturedly with the air stewardesses the whole time and didn’t complain, even though it was scorching hot and he was in a full suit.

Spill: What else didn’t we see on TV?

We only had one day off in six weeks of filming! And though the boardroom sessions were condensed to a few minutes for TV, they actually stretched up to four hours. But the hardest part was not being allowed to use my phone or have Internet access the entire time we were filming. It was tough not being able to speak to family or friends when I was stressed.

Which of your fellow contestants would you hire?

I’d start a business with Ningku because I was closest to her on the show. But if I were a boss, I’d hire Alex. He’s a real go-getter and he’ll put in 100 per cent to get a task done.