The Apprentice star Nadia Suliaman has revealed she developed her hard-nosed nature by overcoming a tough upbringing, including growing up in a Swansea council estate.

The entrepreneur, 36, revealed that when she first moved to London she was forced to live in a rat-infested bungalow which she shared with 30 people, and even spent a year living in a caravan she purchased on Gumtree.

Speaking to The Sun, Nadia revealed that she moved into the caravan, which she purchased for £6,000, to help her save up £30,000 she needed to launch her first hair and beauty salon.

The businesswoman, who has caused a stir on the boardroom with her fiery negotiations, also revealed that she faced horrific racism while growing up in Wales.

Nadia grew up with a mother who was half-Welsh and half-Irish and a father from Iraq, and shared that she was called ‘racist names.’

She shared that the ordeal helped her to build up ‘some form of resilience,’ and proved that she was ‘able to deal with anything in life.’ 

The Apprentice star Nadia Suliaman has revealed she developed her hard-nosed nature by overcoming a tough upbringing, including growing up in a Swansea council estate

The entrepreneur spent a year living in a caravan she purchased on Gumtree to save up the money she needed to open her hair and beauty salon

Nadia shared that she moved into a five-bedroom bungalow with 29 others when she first moved to MiddleSєx from Wales. 

She said: ”I was on a bed in the kitchen and it had mice and rats but I didn’t really care. I was like, ”that’s what I have to do, right?” and I had hardly any time to relocate.’

Nadia shared that she moved to London after landing a job as an account manager for Coca Cola, and when she met her now-fiancé Tyson Aulsebrook, they decided to open a hair and beauty salon in Knightsbridge in 2020.

Revealing they opened the salon by pooling their savings and getting an investment from her mother, Nadia added they decided to rent out their flat in Chiswick, west London and move into a campervan they bought from a man in Brighton.

She added: ‘It was a short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain. We lived in it for a year to save and get an additional £30,000 for the salon. It felt resourceful but I had to make huge lifestyle changes.

‘I had to get rid of most of my clothes and other things, so I left them with my mum. We were living off beans on toast because there was so little space to cook.’

Nadia revealed that she and Tyson endured financial hardships when they struggled to get their business off the ground during the Covid pandemic.

After renting out their flat in Chiswick, west London, Nadia revealed she and her partner were living off ‘beans on toast’ due to the lack of space

Nadia caused a social media stir during last week’s episode of The Apprentice when she tried to barter down the price of a £20 fleece to just £1.50

The couple were later approached by a senior boss at Hackett London about creating a men’s grooming concession within their store, and have since launched five stores across the capital, with £800,000 turnover between them.

Nadia caused a social media stir during last week’s episode of The Apprentice when she tried to barter down the price of a £20 fleece to just £1.50.

The two teams were tasked with trying to source nine items at the best price in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon and the surrounding countryside of Warwickshire.

Lord Alan Sugar explained that those that spent the least amount of money for the correct amount of items would be crowned winners.

The teams had to find a pocket watch, a whole fleece, rhubarb, Ophelia, concave shoes, a coal hod, a boat hook, sweet avalanche and a Peacock quill.

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It was the challenge of buying a fleece that sparked one of the oddest moments of the episode, as Nadia Suliaman attempted to bargain down the price of the item.

Having been told that such a piece would typically be sold for £20, Nadia quickly counter-offered with a price of £1.50.

It was an offer that left many fans floored, with one saying the seller should be ‘insulted,’ while another noted that the candidates thought they were shopping in a ‘rural Poundland.’

Speaking about her move, Nadia added that she ‘never expected’ the seller to accept her low offer, and was hoping they could eventually ‘meet in the middle.’

She and her teammates were eventually crowned winners of the task, with Carlo Brancati becoming the third contestant to be voted off the show.

The Apprentice continues on Thursday at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.