The Apprentice star Shama Amin defends production team after quitting show due to chronic pain

The Apprentice star Shama Amin has defended the BBC show’s production team amid criticism.

Amin quit the series three weeks into its run due to pain she experiences with rheumatoid arthritis.

In Thursday’s episode (20 January), Amin told Lord Sugar at the beginning of the episode she was dropping out of the process.

She explained that the physical demands of the show coupled with the pain had left her unable to compete.

Since the announcement, many criticised the show’s production staff, claiming they hadn’t adjusted things to permit Amin to remain in the competition.

However, Amin appeared to pre-empt this while talking to reporters ahead of the episode.

“I spoke with production and my husband and do you know what, both were absolutely incredible,” she said. “So supportive. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one and it was mine. Not once did anyone ever make me feel guilty.”

Amin added that “production offered me everything I could have asked for to help keep me in”, adding that she “always felt supported that it had to be my decision”.

Explaining her decision to quit, Amin said: “The days are long but in task one, I was fine,” she said. “At home, if my body needs to rest, I just know, I can put my feet up and rest. But obviously, I couldn’t do that in this situation.

“It was in task two where the swelling started to get worse, but I didn’t want to have to leave halfway through the task. I was determined to get through it, and I did.”

She added: ‘We then had a day off and I was struggling to get my shoes on and knew I was going to have to make a decision. It was such a difficult decision, but the bottom line is my health comes first.

“It was very much a heart vs head scenario but first and foremost, I’m a mum and after all this I would be going home to my children.”

The Apprentice continues Thursday (27 January) at 9pm on BBC One.