A businesswoman from south Bucks has spoken about how “flattered and humbled” she feels to be picked for a chance to win a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar on the new series of The Apprentice.

“Like the Tasmanian devil in the famous cartoon, I will torpedo my way through to the win,” Aleksandra King, who recently moved to Chesham Bois from London with her husband Elliott and three daughters, famously said.

Speaking about the moment she found out she had been selected, the 38-year-old said: “My husband and parents were overjoyed and proud, while my kids just bounced up and down with pure joy shouting over and over 'mummy is on The Apprentice, mummy is going to be on TV’.”

Mrs King said she plans to be herself, “work smart and hard” and “remain true” to her “core values” to try and win the competition.

She said: “Everything I do in life is because I truly want to do it. If my heart is in it then I tend to win it.

“When I want something, then I do go straight for it, always. 

“But I make sure that I do so in in a way that remains true to my core values, such as honesty and integrity.

Speaking about working with the formidable head honcho, she said: “Lord Sugar has a real presence and you can certainly feel it when you are sitting opposite him in the boardroom.”

Mrs King, who runs a business consultancy company, describes herself as “altruistic and extremely confident”, and cites her mother as an inspiration.

She joins 17 other hopefuls on the show that has seen no-nonsense Lord Sugar invest £1.25 million in five businesses so far, according to show officials.

The family is eagerly waiting for the first episode to air tonight (Thursday).