Carina Lepore

Lepore was a student at Harris City Academy Crystal Palace from 1998 to 2004, subsequently leaving education when she was 18. After leaving school, Lepore opened a fashion store in Croydon and later went onto to work for retailer Marks and Spencer for ten years. Lepore left her job at M&S in 2017 to join her father's bakery business in Herne Hill, following an incident which caused the site to burn down.{{Cite web|last=McKinnell|first=Ellie|date=2 February 2020|title=Croydon Apprentice winner returns to old school to surprise pupils|url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/croydon-apprentice-winner-returns-old-17674573|access-date=14 October 2020|website=MyLondon}} In an interview with The Times, Lepore said: "In large part to help Dad, who was at an all-time low."{{Cite news|last=Membery|first=York|date=19 July 2020|title=Carina Lepore: I will not fritter away Apprentice £250k prize|newspaper=The Times |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/money/article/carina-lepore-i-will-not-fritter-away-apprentice-250k-prize-blv8d82kw|access-date=14 October 2020|issn=0140-0460}}

{{Main|The Apprentice (British series 15)}}In 2019, Lepore won the 15th series of British reality TV show The Apprentice. After winning the show, she entered into a 50:50 partnership with Lord Sugar, which ended in 2023 following a mutual agreement. He invested £250,000 into Lepore's bakery business.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=The Apprentice Official Website|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/grTP6yCQz3zy3n3fhBR8QT/about-the-apprentice|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623044842/http://www.bbc.co.uk:80/programmes/articles/grTP6yCQz3zy3n3fhBR8QT/about-the-apprentice |archive-date=23 June 2014 |access-date=2020-10-14|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}{{Cite web |date=2023-08-17 |title=Lord Sugar Parts Ways With Another Apprentice Winner After Business Investment |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/lord-sugar-parts-ways-with-the-apprentice-winner-carina-lepore_uk_64dde0c0e4b0dd561030afcb |access-date=2023-08-20 |website=HuffPost UK |language=en}}

Lepore became the most successful Apprentice candidate in history, winning nine out of ten tasks and three of which as the project manager.{{Cite web|title=Carina is now the most successful candidate in Apprentice history|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-12-04/carina-most-successful-apprentice-candidate/|access-date=14 October 2020|website=Radio Times|language=en}}

After winning The Apprentice, Lepore told the Press Association, "It's like this euphoric relief. I was so overwhelmed and so happy. It's a feeling that I haven't really felt."

On 8 September 2020, Lepore held a press launch for her second bakery which was opened in Beckenham in South East London.{{Cite web|last=Yaqoob|first=Janine|date=12 September 2020|title=Lord Alan Sugar opens a second bakery but says he worries about his bottom line|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/lord-alan-sugar-opens-second-22672250|access-date=14 October 2020|website=Mirror}}

During the same month as the launch, a local newspaper reported police were called to Lepore's Beckenham bakery, following complaints raised by residents over a private party which disobeyed coronavirus regulations.{{Cite web|last1=O'Byrne Mulligan|first1=Euan|date=30 September 2020|title=Police called to Apprentice winner's bakery after Covid party complaints|url=https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18760009.police-called-apprentice-bakery-covid-complaints/|access-date=14 October 2020|website=News Shopper|language=en}}

In August 2023, it was reported that Lord Sugar parted ways with Lepore after nearly four years of being in business together. A spokesperson for Lord Sugar said: "Both parties agreed it was the right decision for the business moving forward, and Carina will take back full control of her business with immediate effect."

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.doughbakehouse.co.uk/ Official website]

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Category:Television personalities from the London Borough of Croydon

Category:Businesspeople from the London Borough of Croydon

Category:The Apprentice (British TV series) winners

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:People from Croydon

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