She promised to leave her mark on The Apprentice like the whirlwind cartoon character the Tasmanian Devil, and last night south Bucks contestant Aleksandra King stayed true to her word – becoming the first person in history to quit the contest before the start of a challenge.

The mum-of-three, who lives in Chesham Bois, cited the difficulties of not being with her family as one of the main reasons to leave the show less than a month after it started.

Within minutes of last night’s programme beginning, the 38-year-old dropped the bombshell that she would be leaving – walking away without even a fleeting boardroom showdown with Lord Alan Sugar, who later claimed she saved him a cab fare by leaving early.

Revealing her decision during a team meeting, she said: 'You guys, I just have to say something — I’m going to leave the process. I’m really sorry, I’m just not enjoying it.'

Shocked, fellow contestant Mukai Noiri responded: 'We're just starting a task it's not the ideal moment.'

Speaking on camera after making the decision, she said: “I have found the process overwhelming and stressful and really intense. I just want to go home.

“I just want to go home to my kids and my husband. Now. Right now.”

She previously told the Bucks Free Press that she was 'flattered' and 'humbled' to be given the chance to win the £250,000 investment on offer.

In the boardroom, Lord Sugar, said: “Those who are observant will realise we are missing one of our contestants.

“As I said to you a few weeks ago, the process is very, very tough and if you can’t hack it, get out! And that’s exactly what Aleksandra did.”

He added: 'On the positive front, I've saved myself a cab fare.'

Her team went on to lose the challenge, with Mukai losing his place in the show after a grilling by Lord Sugar.

Aleksandra later told BANG Showbiz: “I can't tell you in exact detail how much contact I was allowed with my family but, for me, the restricted contact was not good enough.

“'I would have liked to have picked up the phone and just said, ‘How are you guys? OK, Great.’ I was not able to do that.

“I've got a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old and a five-year-old but it's the work-life balance thing because there are other mums in there who have younger kids and it was OK for them.

“But for me, I started to get slightly irritated because I felt like why is this even a business trip, what has lack of contact with my family got to do with it?

“It was winding me up and going on in my head.”