Jackie Fast has said being sent home from The Apprentice for being too successful was a “great way to go”.

The sponsorship consultant was fired by Lord Alan Sugar for already having success outside the BBC show, and not needing further investment.

Lord Sugar said he wanted “little acorns” to work with to grow into mighty oaks, and noted that Fast was halfway to an oak tree already.

She was fired after a telemarketing task in which contestants attempted to produce and present a TV sales pitch, which Fast’s team – led by Tom Bunday – failed to win by a narrow margin.

Fast, who sold her business in 2016, accepted the decision as fair and said being fired for success is the best way to exit The Apprentice.

She said: “It’s a great way to go. It’s a fair firing, you need to look to what Lord Sugar wants to do with business. He want the process of making small businesses grow. It sucks, definitely. But I had nothing to prove.

“I think the show is not realistic, because in business you get to choose the people you work with. You don’t have to live with them.

“On the whole, actually, it is realistic about business. The challenges are realistic, you have to fight, you have to take ideas and run with them.  

“People that have success are the ones that are willing to put themselves forward.”

There are six contestants remaining on The Apprentice, with a date for the final episode yet to be confirmed.