Herne Bay’s Maria O’Connor caught napping during a task on The Apprentice

by Joe Walker

Apprentice contestant Maria O’Connor walked out on a job in Herne Bay after bosses claimed she was giving diners "heart attacks" with the way she dressed.

The news emerged as the fiery 21-year-old was given the boot from the hit BBC One show last night after falling asleep during a task.

Maria, who lives in Herne Bay, had only been working as a waitress at town centre restaurant Mortimers for two weeks when she upset boss Richard Bartlett.

He said: "She was giving old people heart attacks with the way she was dressed.

"She came in one day with high heels on and we told her she was dressed inappropriately for work and asked her to go home and get changed.

"She left but never came back. I can’t say we were too unhappy. She just wasn’t suitable for our clientele – that’s all I can say."

When quizzed about the claims, Maria admitted: "That’s right. I didn’t want the job to be honest. I didn’t like it. They were all old people and I like a younger crowd."

Maria had started at Mortimers shortly after leaving The Shad Indian restaurant in William Street, where she had worked since she was 15.

Owner Raj Miah said: "She was a brilliant waitress. She knew exactly how to get what she wanted and was very popular with customers – especially the men. She’d flirt with them, so the women didn’t seem to like her that much. I think they were jealous of her and found her a bit of a threat."

Speaking before Maria was fired by Lord Sugar, Mr Miah added: "I think if she’s given a physical task on the Apprentice she’ll do very well, but I don’t think she has the knowledge to compete with the other candidates."

His predictions were proved right last night when Maria was sacked in only the second task – inventing a new bathroom gadget.

She was caught napping in the car while her teammates discussed how to pitch the splash board – a device to stop kids splashing water out of the bath – to retailers.

Maria admits it was probably the reason she was fired, saying: "I fell asleep in the car, I know. It was only for 10 or 15 seconds and I was hoping they’d edit it out, but they didn’t.

"We didn’t have to get up until 7am but some stupid cow woke up at 4am to do her hair and was stomping about.

"I’m a light sleeper as well so I woke up as well, which is why I was so tired."
On the task she said: "I would rather have gone for the tap cosy than the splash board ."

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Ambitious Maria says she was relieved to be on the end of Lord Sugar’s infamous "you’re fired" catchphrase.

The former Barton Court pupil – who runs Greek restaurant Elizavet in Sandwich – was the second person axed from the hit show.

She had spent two weeks sharing an "amazing" house with the other 14 contestants before she was given the chop.

She said: "I was actually quite relieved to be honest. I wanted to go home, back to my normal life and normal sleeping pattern. I’m not a morning person.

"i wanted to have fun, but some of them took the whole thing far too seriously" – apprentice candidate maria o'connor

"I’m disappointed I didn’t win but then I never thought I would. There are some quite serious business people on there and I run a restaurant.

"I like to have fun, I mess around, I smash plates and teach customers how to dance."

Maria says she made friends in the house, but failed to connect with most of the girls.

She said: "I got on really well with Katie and Gabriella, but the other girls were a little bit cold. I like people I can bounce off but I couldn’t with them.

"I wanted to have fun, but some of them took the whole thing far too seriously.

"It’s something you’ll never do again so I wanted to make the most of what was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Despite his fearful persona, Maria says she wasn’t phased by Lord Sugar in the boardroom.

She said: "What you see is what you get with him. It takes quite a lot for me to be intimidated and I wasn’t intimidated by him at all."

Now the show is over, Maria is back running her restaurant and determined to build a business empire.

She said: "I want to open up four more restaurants in the next four years. You’ve got to have ambition.

"It’s going really well and touch wood it keeps going. I enjoy all of my customers and absolutely love it."