Apprentice star Marnie: I owe it all to the father I saw die in our caravan
THE latest winner of The Apprentice has revealed how she drove herself to success after witnessing the death of her father in the caravan they shared when she was eight.
Marnie Swindells, 28, said that during the BBC reality business show she wore a gold bracelet he had planned to give as her ninth birthday present, so he ‘could be there with her’.
In the 17th series of The Apprentice, the boxing gym owner fought off competition from 17 rival candidates to win £250,000 investment from the series’ host Lord Sugar.
But never far from her thoughts was the loss of her father, aged 47. Marnie didn’t want to divulge exactly how her father died but said it was an accident, which could have been avoided.
‘We were in the caravan – I saw the whole thing happen and I was the person that got the ambulance. I ran to direct them because they couldn’t get in the site.’
Marnie, from Oldham, lived in the static caravan until the age of 13. Her motivation to succeed stemmed from her longing for a better life, she said, because although she was raised in a loving family, she was too ‘embarrassed’ to invite friends to her home. She said: ‘One of the massive driving forces to want to be wealthy and do well for myself is to make sure I am not in the position that my mum and dad were in.
‘I lived in a caravan for as long as I can remember. I always wanted what friends had, like a big house.
‘Even though I don’t believe money can buy happiness, I believe it can buy freedom. I looked at the situation that my mum was in, and I desperately didn’t want to end up like that and she would agree. “Don’t end up like me,” she said.’
She cites her mum’s support for being able to summon the strength to play Sandy in Grease in a school musical just three days after her father died.
Shortly after, her mum found the gold bracelet in his coat pocket while sorting his clothes. ‘My dad left me a bracelet that my mum had no idea about and he must have been saving up for,’ said Marnie.
She made a point of wearing it during The Apprentice, saying: ‘In the Rolls-Royce, I wore it because I wanted him to be in a Rolls-Royce with me. I wore it during the You’re Hired show, which was a way he could physically be there.’
Marnie is engaged to fellow boxing coach Michael Harris. But after securing the £250,000 investment, their wedding plans have been put on the backburner.
She said: ‘I would love a family one day, too, but right now I am too selfish. Children require a lot of love and at the moment I’m not in a position to give it. I need to make my business work and right now there’s no limits on anything.’