Love Island favourite reveals she had "no idea" who Alan Sugar was before Celebrity Apprentice - and teases upcoming episodes
"It's going to be a season to remember."
Love Island winner and fan favourite Toni Laites has candidly revealed she had "no idea" who Lord Alan Sugar was before appearing on the Celebrity Apprentice.
Toni Laites made history in season 12 of Love Island last year when she entered as the first-ever American bombshell, before going on to win the series coupled up with Cach Mercer.
Last month, the cast for the first full-length series of The Celebrity Apprentice was revealed, with the Love Island winner joining the line-up.
Now, speaking to Radio Times at the BAFTA Television Awards 2026, Toni has candidly admitted that before appearing on the BBC show, she had "no idea" who The Apprentice host, and UK household name, Alan Sugar was.
When asked, Toni replied: " I had no idea who he [Alan Sugar] was, and I think it was better that way, so I wasn't so scared in the boardroom."
She also teased what viewers can expect from the new series, saying, "It's going to be a season to remember."
In the all celebrity cast Toni will be joined by singer and songwriter Alexandra Burke, actor Danny Miller, presenter Gethin Jones, dancer and presenter Jordan Banjo, journalist Kay Burley, actress and online personality Maddie Grace Jepson, presenter, podcaster and content creator Max Balegde, Gladiator Sheli McCoy, UK garage legend DJ Spoony, TV and BBC Radio 2 presenter Richie Anderson, comedian, and writer and actor Laura Smyth.
The celebrities will all be competing for the chance to win a £100,000 donation to a charity of their choice with Toni sharing with Radio Times that her reason for taking part in the show was to raise money for charity Crohn's & Colitis UK, which supports those living with Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis.
"I do have ulcerative colitis myself," she vulnerably revealed, "so it's really near and dear to my heart, honestly, like it's amazing to have these opportunities even."
The first celebrity spin-off of the corporate show aired in 2007 as a charity fundraiser for Comic Relief, with the likes of Piers Morgan and Cheryl Cole taking part. T
There was a second special the following year featuring Alan Carr and Jonathan Ross, and a third in 2019, which saw Amanda Holden and Rylan Clark taking part.
In December last year, to mark The Apprentice's 20th anniversary, a two-part celebrity special aired in partnership with Pudsey in aid of Children in Need. The upcoming season of The Celebrity Apprentice will be the first full-length season featuring an all-celebrity cast.
The Celebrity Apprentice is expected to air in late 2026.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.
