Yahoo News The Apprentice’s Harpreet Kaur details wedding plans with co-stars as groom and bridesmaid (exclusive)
The Apprentice star also talks Lord Sugar business split: 'There is no bad feeling'
The Apprentice’s 2022 winner Harpreet Kaur has opened up about her plans for a "big fat Indian wedding" in 2024 with her co-star Akshay Thakrar. She told Yahoo: "It is something amazing that blossomed out of this crazy experience we call The Apprentice."
Although Kaur has since parted ways with Lord Alan Sugar on her business Oh So Yum! that she shares with her sister Gurvinder Kaur, The Apprentice was a whirlwind experience for her.
The businesswoman got the £250,000 investment, found love and made a best friend during her time on the BBC show last year.
Kaur and Thakrar’s close friendship on The Apprentice flourished into a whirlwind romance and they got engaged earlier this year.
Wedding plans
Speaking about wedding plans now, Kaur revealed she has recruited fellow The Apprentice finalist Kathryn Burn to play an important role.
She said: "My best friend is Kathryn, the finalist, she's going to be my bridesmaid as well. I've got a best friend, husband and an investment out of The Apprentice."
Lovebirds Kaur and Thakrar have set the date for June next year but the bride has to take charge of planning a number of days and outfits to mark the occasion.
"We're looking to get married in June next year. So months of planning ahead," she said. "Because it's a big fat Indian wedding: there's a number of days to plan and a number of outfits I need to plan.
"I've just finally ordered dress number one which I'm really excited for. We're trying to keep it quite an intimate do, which is very difficult when you're Indian, but we're really looking forward to it.
"I think it'll be a nice next chapter and again, just something amazing to have blossomed out of this crazy experience that we call The Apprentice."
Juggling her business, the Apprentice star admitted her razor-sharp focus will be on her wedding for the next few months.
She added: "I've got a lot of my plate for the next six months, planning this wedding, so I think I’ll be focused on that."
Akshay Thakrar
When it comes to business, it seems they are a match made in heaven too as Kaur praised her love for his advice and revealed she learns from him every day.
She said: "Yeah he's really smart and honestly, I think what's really nice is we are both very different, so we're both quite sort of successful in our own right.
"But he operates in a different way to the way I do. So I've learned a lot from him on how to negotiate a deal or approach something in a way that I wouldn't have in the past.
"So I learn from him every single day. It is amazing considering he didn't get the investment on the show. I'm really proud of him and I think hopefully we can continue building together and growing together."
Split from Lord Sugar: 'No bad feelings'
Kaur has been settling back to business just with her sister now after she had parted ways with Lord Sugar in August this year.
They decided to split after just 18 months of working together on the bakery business Oh So Yum and now the businesswoman has opened up about their "amicable" choice to part ways, saying: "There were no bad feelings whatsoever."
She added: "It was a completely amicable decision."
Plus the former business partners have stayed in touch and she wouldn't hesitate to pick up the phone to ask Lord Sugar for advice in the future.
She added: "We just got the opportunity to buy back up shares. I think that he has given the opportunity to a number of investments in the past or people that he's invested in it cropped up in our annual meeting.
"And we thought, 'Ok, whilst we've got the opportunity, let's do it.' So it's gone back to being me and my sister, 50-50. His advisors have still been in touch and in conversation since and they've still been helpful since.
"And I think if they ever needed to kind of pick up with Lord Sugar or have a conversation, I'm sure he'd be happy to do so. It's only been a really good thing."
Working with Lord Sugar
In the short time they worked together, The Apprentice winner revealed she had learnt a huge lesson from Lord Sugar.
"The biggest thing I learned from Lord Sugar was if you want something just ask for it, like unashamedly," she said. "I'm quite an assertive person anyway.
"But going through the experience of working with Lord Sugar for that brief period of time, I've just really learned that look, business is business, nothing is personal and it can still be assertive and direct without being rude. Because you're just making it clear, exactly kind of what your expectations are.
"So I think it actually only happened with growing confidence and I thought, 'Ok, if I can sit at a table with Lord Sugar, surely I can do anything.' Nothing is impossible."
Oh So Yum
When it comes to business, Kaur can always rely on her sister. The Apprentice star had plenty of praise for her sibling Gurvinder who she has been working with on Oh So Yum for eight years.
She said: "How many people can say that this is, is not only their best friend but also their business partner? It's brilliant because any weak spots that I've got, she picks up on and vice versa.
"And I think the business running a business can be really tough, especially in today's climate. So it's just nice to have each other's back, really nice."
Oh So Yum has made huge waves since The Apprentice - including launching a debut collaboration with the Hilton London Metropole.
She said: "The Apprentice completely catapulted our brand, completely catapulted our business and my platform personally.
"It's done amazing things. Lord Sugar and his team were nothing short of super helpful in so many different ways to allow us to level up to the next level of business."
Of her newest opportunity, she added: "To know that your product is good enough, the quality is good enough and it's unique enough for brands like Selfridges and Hilton that are global brands who want to stock you.
"That for me is a real like eye opener that actually we've achieved something great here. It's not just a cute little baked product, big brands also want to work with us. So that for me is our biggest level up."
Oh So Yum! has launched its debut six-flavour Cookie Cup collaboration with the Hilton London Metropole, now available in-house at the Tyburn Market restaurant.
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