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The Apprentice is back on our screens from January 6, and to celebrate we’re looking back at the region’s most successful participant in the show.

Fitness fanatic Katie Bulmer-Cooke entered the 2014 edition of BBC reality show The Apprentice with hopes of starting a business specialising in healthy food, despite having no formal business training.

But any lack of experience in the world of boardrooms and offices certainly didn’t affect her as the highly likeable Sunderland lass prepared to enter the television process. At the time of the show starting she had already won awards in the personal training sphere and gave a tenacity throughout the process which helped her fare well in the show.

Katie Bulmer-Cooke. Picture by FRANK REID.

Having impressed in the opening weeks of the process, she was met with the infamous “you’re fired” catchphrase from Sir Alan Sugar in week ten. Having taken charge of one of the two teams for a premium pudding challenge.

Since then, Katie has turned her time on TV into a successful personal brand, with the former contestant offering public speaking roles and time in business consultancy in addition to running her own fitness plans and training in addition to opening her own small buisness in 2018.

Her Fit, Healthy, Happy plan is a staple of her work and includes a 28 day training regime which was developed after working on plans for celebrities and sports personalities.

She also offers personal training with a full personalised session plan in addition to pregnancy and post natal exercise plans.

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Katie Bulmer-Cooke: What happened to Sunderland's The Apprentice star once she left the boardroom?

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters.

Your support for our journalism means we can continue telling Sunderland’s stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe - and click here to get a snapshot of the Echo’s news and sport to your inbox through our email newsletters.