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He’s got the name of a Latino pop star and the power of a Norse god – all hail Lord Sugar’s newest recruit, Ricky Martin, writes Charlotte Lytton from the Telegraph.

When the eighth series of The Apprentice began in March, you’d be forgiven for thinking Lord Sugar would make mincemeat out of brash recruitment manager Ricky ‘reflection of perfection’ Martin. But, last night, after thirteen gruelling weeks (and many more gruelling clichés), the 26-year-old from Hampshire triumphed, winning a quarter of a million pound investment from one of Britain’s most prolific businessmen.

While his win may have surprised audiences, it didn’t surprise the man himself, who admits, ‘I never doubted that I could do it; I was always believed in myself. But though I was confident I could win it, I was never complacent that I actually would.’ Self-assurance has never been a problem for the scientific industry recruiter, who likened himself to the god Thor on his application and insisted he could teach ‘old dog’ Lord Sugar some new tricks. ‘The reality is that in business, if I went about as I did at the beginning of the programme with my catchphrases and clichés, no one would want to work with me.’

‘I brought out the Ricky Hype wrestling character to stand out from the crowd and put a bit of fear into my fellow candidates, but as time went on, I stopped that persona and focussed on what I am: a very diplomatic and amicable businessman.’ Indeed, producers pounced on his lycra toting hobby of professional wrestling, a sport he took up whilst studying medical biochemistry at Cardiff University (or the University of Wales, as it was then known). ‘I can’t say that the show focussing on my wrestling is unfair because I went into the process with a wrestler’s attitude, but I wanted people to take me for who I am – a businessperson, and not a sportsperson.’

And perhaps most surprisingly of all, it was Lord Sugar’s aide, the terrifying Claude Littner, who cut through Ricky’s ‘horrific’ hyperbole and recognised his inner entrepreneur. ‘When Claude said he was ‘mesmerised’ by my business plan, it knocked me for six. It was fantastic to hear him say that, especially as I’d been given such a hard time at the beginning of that interview!’

But while Ricky was on the receiving end of a grilling in Sunday night’s episode, he handed out a few of his own during spells in the boardroom, scolding contestant Stephen Brady for patronising a fellow teammate. ‘Stephen and I are really good friends, but we fought like cat and dog on a few occasions in the boardroom and I had to put him in his place. It’s a very surreal experience because there’s only one winner and everyone’s competing for the prize. But what happens in the boardroom stays in the boardroom, and it’s only when you’re in the firing line that your animal instinct to fight for your life comes out.’

Bromances between the male contestants seemed to be a regular fixture on this series of the show, with Ricky also striking up a close friendship with Adam Corbally early on in the process. But the regular praise heaped upon the market trader, who finished fifth, was a source of frustration for the rest of the candidates: ‘I think a lot of us found it a bit annoying that he was congratulated for being outside of his comfort zone, as the majority of us were doing things we had no experience in for most of the tasks. He was just louder than others to say so!‘

Ricky and Lord Sugar have not reached the same level of bromance just yet, but the victor speculates that one day, he might be on first name terms with the business mogul. ‘Unless he turns round and says ‘Ricky, call me Alan’, he’ll always be Lord Sugar to me’. Let’s hope that when Ricky’s fourth annual Christmas party comes around (already budgeted in his business plan, natch), Shugs will borrow some inspiration from Paul Simon and tell his new partner, ‘You can call me Al.’

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/the-apprentice/9310671/Ricky-Martin-from-The-Apprentice-interview.html#