Former The Apprentice contestant Thomas Skinner is among the 12 stars competing in the BBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice this Christmas.
It has been six years since The Celebrity Apprentice was on our screens. Interestingly, eight out of the 12 stars have already appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, including Skinner, who proved to be a divisive contestant on the BBC dancing show before becoming the first person to be eliminated from the series.
In this new two-part Christmas special, Lord Sugar sends the celebrities to Lapland, the home of Santa, where they are divided into two groups to make their own gingerbread biscuits. They must create the biscuit, an advert and a jingle. From 14 November, the gingerbread biscuits created by the celebrities will go on sale to the UK public, with the proceeds going to Children in Need.
Mike Soutar, Lord Alan Sugar and Baroness Karren Brady are on The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials. (BBC/Naked)
Baroness Karren Brady and Mike Soutar are keeping a watchful eye on the celebrities. Team one includes: AJ Odudu, Charlie Hedges, Eddie Kadi, Jake Wood, Kadeena Cox and Rob Rinder. Team two is made up of: Angela Scanlon, JB Gill, Matt Morsia, Sarah Hadland, Shazia Mirza and Tom Skinner.
The first-ever celebrity spin-off was for Comic Relief in 2007, starring Piers Morgan, Cheryl Tweedy, Maureen Lipman, and Karren Brady, who is now his close aide on the business series.
In 2009, the Celebrity Apprentice featured stars such as Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross, Michelle Mone, and Patsy Palmer. In 2019, Celebrity Apprentice returned with stars Amanda Holden, Tameka Empson and Rylan Clark taking part.
In 2025’s The Apprentice, Lord Alan Sugar gave the £250,000 to aircon businessman, and new business partner Dean Franklin. The Apprentice runner-up Anisa Khan told Yahoo UK, “I thought I had won for a whole year.”
Thomas Skinner
Tom Skinner is competing on Celebrity Apprentice. (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
Thomas Skinner is returning to TV after his disastrous stint on Strictly as the first celebrity to be eliminated.
He was arguably the most controversial star in the Strictly 2025 line-up, thanks to his unlikely friendship with the Vice President of the US, JD Vance. Skinner stormed out of the Strictly press conference, which led to a confession that he had cheated on his wife just weeks after their wedding in 2022.
Returning to the boardroom, Skinner has taken off his dancing shoes to get back to business. He was one of the most memorable stars on The Apprentice after being propelled to fame on the reality series in its 15th season, which aired in 2019.
Since the show, he has set up his own pillow company, and he is now a dad to three children.
Gladiators’ Matt Morsia
Matt Morsia is swapping Gladiators for The Celebrity Apprentice. (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
Gladiator, ready for your next opportunity?
Matt Morsia is also making an appearance on the show. The TV star has been taking on challenges with contenders as one of the Gladiators on the rebooted TV series. He is better known for his stage name, Legend. There is no doubt his competitive spirit will stand him in good stead for Celebrity Apprentice.
He gave up teaching in 2017 after an athletics career, having established a huge online fanbase on YouTube.
However, The Apprentice is a completely different world from Gladiators. So, how will the Gladiator be at flexing his business muscles in the boardroom?
AJ Odudu
AJ Odudu is starring on Celebrity Apprentice. (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
AJ Odudu has all eyes on her when she hosts ITV’s Big Brother, but how will she cope with managing the pressure in the firing line on BBC’s Celebrity Apprentice?
Her experience in the celebrity world has seen her take on many presenting roles and take centre stage in the limelight.
She has dabbled in reality TV before, having made it to the Strictly Come Dancing final back in 2021, and would likely make herself a fierce competitor on Celebrity Apprentice.
Sarah Hadland
Sarah Hadland is on The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials. (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
Fresh from Strictly Come Dancing in 2024, Sarah Hadland has now quickstepped into the Celebrity Apprentice boardroom.
The actor is best known for her role on Miranda as Stevie Sutton, but she has been trying out the world of reality TV and discovered she loved it on Strictly.
Will Hadland be a good fit for the boardroom?
JB Gill
JB Gill has waltzed his way onto The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials. (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
JLS star JB Gill made it all the way to the Strictly 2024 final. Now he is hoping to Cha-Cha-Change it up with an appearance on Celebrity Apprentice.
The boyband star proved how flexible he could be and a good team player by working well alongside both dancing partners, Amy Dowden and Lauren Oakley, throughout the Strictly series.
Angela Scanlon
Angela Scanlon has waltzed her way into the Celebrity Apprentice boardroom. (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
Like JB Gill, Thomas Skinner, and Sarah Hadland, Angela Scanlon has recently starred on Strictly Come Dancing, and is looking for her next TV opportunity to waltz into.
The Irish presenter first started out her career on BBC’s The One Show, and now hosts a popular podcast with Vicky Pattison.
Kadeena Cox
Kadeena Cox is starring on The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials. (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
Ambitious Paralympian Kadeena Cox is setting her sights on Celebrity Apprentice.
The sports star has delved into the reality television world before with her appearance on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in 2021.
She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) back in 2014. The NHS describes MS as a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord.
Eddie Kadi
Eddie Kadi is featuring on Celebrity Apprentice. (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
Eddie Kadi is heading for The Apprentice boardroom on the celebrity spin-off.
The comedian made history as the first Black British comedian to headline the O2 Arena in 2010. Like many of the rumoured line-up, Kadi has waltzed his way onto Strictly Come Dancing.
How will he manage the transition from the ballroom to the boardroom?
Jake Wood
Will EastEnders actor Jake Wood bring the drama to the Celebrity Apprentice? (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
Jake Wood is best known for his role as Max Branning on EastEnders.
With all the explosive drama on EastEnders, the TV personality should be prepared for the intensity of the boardroom in The Apprentice.
While he has been on EastEnders for years, Wood has dabbled in reality TV before, including a stint on Strictly Come Dancing in the past.
Robert Rinder
Rob Rinder is going to be on The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials. (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
Robert Rinder is mostly on our screens when presenting Good Morning Britain.
Now he is following in the footsteps of his friend Rylan, who recently teamed up for Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour.
Interestingly, when Rylan starred on the 2019 series of Celebrity Apprentice, he joked it was “potentially the worst three days of my life!”
Charlie Hedges
Will Charlie Hedges be a hit in the Celebrity Apprentice? (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
DJ Charlie Hedges is a BBC Radio 1 presenter, currently presenting on Rickie, Melvin and Charlie as well as Radio 1’s Dance Anthems. Before joining the BBC in 2018, she had hosted the KISS FM Breakfast show for 10 years alongside Melvin Odoom and Rickie Haywood-Williams.
She is used to playing to a big audience, but will she hit all the right notes in the boardroom?
Shazia Mirza
Shazia Mirza is on The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials. (BBC/Naked/Matt Crossick)
Comedian Shazia Mirza has also signed up for the Celebrity Apprentice.
Last year, the funny woman tested herself when she headed onto reality TV show Celebrity SAS Who Dares wins.
Before finding fame as a comedian and starring on television, Mirza worked as a science teacher, and she taught a boy now known as rapper Dizzee Rascal.
The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials will air later this year on BBC One and iPlayer, and the biscuits should be available to purchase from Friday 14 November.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source uk.news.yahoo.com ’
