Dr Jana Denzel has revealed the real reason he quit The Apprentice after becoming embroiled in an alleged racism row.

The Harley Street cosmetic dentist was spoken to by producers for describing a black person as ‘coloured’ during filming and he then underwent diversity training.

Dr Denzel then quit the compeтιтion during Thursday night’s episode but he and the BBC both insisted that it was not to do with his ‘ill-informed’ comment, which was not broadcast.

Now, Dr Denzel has set the record straight as he claimed the real reason he quit the programme was actually because of a ‘really hurtful’ remark from Lord Alan Sugar.

He said he thought he had performed ‘really, really well’ until episode four, when the formidable boss said to him: ‘You’ve been really, really quiet since the last few weeks.’

Dr Denzel, who is of Sri Lankan heritage, said he was ‘hurt’ by the remark because he was putting in ‘100 per cent’ and claimed that was what led him to quit the show.

Dr Jana Denzel has revealed the real reason he quit The Apprentice after becoming embroiled in an alleged racism row 

‘I’ve been one of the best performing candidates here for the last few weeks, I’ve been really giving it 100 per cent and all of myself. But you just say that I’ve been really, really quiet is really hurtful,’ he said.

‘That moment onwards, I looked at him and I was like, You know what? Maybe this just isn’t a great fit, then, because if I’m positively contributing and giving 100 per cent of myself, and you’re saying, ”I’m really, really quiet, and you haven’t seen much from me”, then I don’t think this is going to work.

‘So, I actually made my decision in that boardroom at the end of episode four, and I said to the producers as well, I don’t think this is [going to] work or be a great fit for me because I don’t like how that was going down.’

Dr Jana admitted in ‘hindsight’ that he could have spoken up more in boardrooms, but maintained that Lord Sugar has access to the records of who led which negotiation.

Dr Jana left the show in episode five after deciding that the other contestants wanted to win Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment more than he did. 

He was the project manager for his final task of making Easter eggs but his team lost the challenge and he then decided to ‘step away from the process’.

As Dr Jana departed, Lord Sugar said: ‘It’s been a pleasure having you here … you seem a stand-up fellow, I wish you well.’

Dr Denzel, who has spoken of pride at his Sri Lankan heritage and refugee parents, made headlines when it emerged he described a black person as ‘coloured’ during a task.

Dr Denzel has set the record straight as he claimed the real reason he quit the programme was actually because of a ‘really hurtful’ remark from Lord Alan Sugar (pictured) 

He had been part of a team on the BBC reality show creating a character for a marketing campaign when he is understood to have used the phrase.

Two women on his team were said to have been particularly upset by the comment, which was reported to show bosses, and he then underwent diversity training.

After filming, Dr Denzel sat in on talks with producers to ensure he understood the remark was offensive.

Speaking about the racism row, a show source told The Sun: ‘The team had been discussing what the character should look like, and there were suggestions from some members to make sure the character was inclusive.

‘It was then that Jana made the “coloured comment”, which particularly upset two female candidates on his team.’

‘While his co-stars did push back and make it clear to Jana the comment was unacceptable, it was then escalated further when it was flagged to the production team, who pulled Jana aside.’

Dr Denzel has since broken his silence on Instagram and said his character pitch had been to improve diversity, insisting he willingly underwent the training after filming.

‘My entire motivation behind this character and my pitch around it was so we could see more diversity in that industry, particularly reflecting people who look like me,’ he clarified.

He said he thought he had performed ‘really, really well’ until episode four, when the formidable boss said to him: ‘You’ve been really, really quiet since the last few weeks’ 

‘As soon as I said it, one of the candidates pulled me up and said ”Jana, that’s the wrong choice of words, you should say a person of colour”. I apologised, changed what I said and carried on.’

‘It was only after we finished filmed the entire series did they get in touch, tell me to come in and tell me why it was such an ill-informed choice of wording.

‘I apologised and they offered me some training behind that word, and I said ”yes, I’d love to learn more”.   

‘They gave me the training and now I have a better understanding of the use of that word, the history of it, especially in the US.’

Dr Denzel runs a cosmetic dentistry practice in Harley Street, and boasts A-List stars and Grammy award winners as some of his clients.

But on Thursday, he became the fifth compeтιтor to leave the show, during week five which saw the candidates create and branding a new chocolate Easter egg, before pitching it to industry buyers.

Dr Denzel had hoped that with Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment, he could expand his business globally.

However in the boardroom, he declared ahead of the results: ‘Sorry Lord Sugar, I just wanted to say as well, I’m proud of everyone’s contribution towards this.

Dr Denzel quit the compeтιтion during Thursday night’s episode but he and the BBC both insisted that it was not to do with his comment, which sparked a racism row 

‘I know how much some people want it but I’m going to be honest with you, I’m not sure if I want it as bad as them so I think whether we win or lose, I would like to step away from the process.’

Following this, it was revealed that his team, Team Parallel, which he led, had lost the task.

Lord Sugar asked once more if Dr Denzel was certain that he wished to leave the process, to which the contestant confirmed that he was.

Speaking more about why he was leaving, Dr Denzel said: ‘I had an incredible experience on the show, but after much deliberation, I realised it wasn’t the right path for me.

‘Regardless of the outcome of the task, I had already made the decision to step away as I didn’t feel it was right for me to continue when there were so many talented candidates who wanted it more than I did.

‘My business and my family have always been my priority, and I wanted to get back to them.

‘I’m very grateful for the experience and I’ll cherish all the brilliant people I’ve met along the way and I’m now looking forward to supporting everyone from the sidelines and focusing on growing my business, which I’m so pᴀssionate about.’

Following the show, a spokesperson for The Apprentice told MailOnline: ‘We were made aware of an ill-informed comment made by Jana during the process and action was taken. 

The Harley Street cosmetic dentist was spoken to by producers for describing a black person as ‘coloured’ during filming and he then underwent diversity training 

‘Whilst we have made it very clear to Jana that his use of language was not acceptable, we are confident there was no ill-intent behind it and the concerns of all parties involved have been addressed and resolved.

‘Jana withdrew from the process for completely unrelated and separate reasons, and he has our full support.’

Two weeks before the episode aired, it was reported on February 13 that a contestant would quit the show – but MailOnline decided against revealing their idenтιтy so as not to spoil the show for fans.

A TV source told MailOnline at the time: ‘The Apprentice isn’t for everyone and some of the candidates only realise that once they’re in the process.

‘One contestant this series decided to leave the compeтιтion early telling Lord Sugar ‘this isn’t for me.’

‘It came as a total shock in the boardroom – some of the cast now believe the candidate wanted to avoid the potential embarrᴀssment of being fired.

‘They saved Lord Sugar the trouble and simply gave up the chance of becoming his next business partner.’

And a source close to Dr Denzel told MailOnline: ‘Ultimately, they realised that the show wasn’t the right process for them and their fellow candidates wanted it more. 

Last year, The Apprentice was embroiled in a race row when Shazia Hussain claimed she was racially bullied during her time on the show

‘Staying in the process wouldn’t have been fair to their compeтιтors as far as they were concerned.

‘They have a very successful business, and they always had one eye on getting back to that. Everyone involved just wishes them the absolute best.’

The show has a history of candidates quitting before being sacked.

In 2023, Shannon Martin left the process, telling Lord Sugar in the boardroom: ‘I just don’t think it’s the environment for me.’

During the same season, Reece Donnelly was axed from the compeтιтion after breaking show rules by drinking alcohol on a flight to Dubai.

And Shama Amin stood back in 2022 because of the pain she experienced with her rheumatoid arthritis.

She said: ‘Mentally, I was strong enough to carry on. But my body wasn’t allowing me to carry on. So I had no choice but to make a difficult decision like that.’

The Apprentice airs Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.