Let’s be honest – no Apprentice 2026 candidate stood a chance against Karishma Vijay, arguably the best contestant the BBC show has ever had.

The 29-year-old beauty brand owner won Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment for her skincare business, which she launched after discovering a “cure” for her acne – and it was glaringly inevitable from week one. In all 20 years of the show, there has not been a contestant who has exuded such likeability, justifiable confidence, and, believe it or not, common sense.

Not even her finale rival Pascha Myhill, whose evolution throughout the series was a joy to watch, could rival Karishma. Pascha – the show’s youngest contestant at 21 – was seeking investment for her recruitment business and, in the last episode, nailed a pitch to a room filled with business experts, which, by her own admission, she would not have been able to do at the start of the competition.

But while Pascha had the journey element on her side, Karishma hit her stride from the outset. Whenever Lord Sugar briefed the candidates on the weekly tasks, she would digest the information, scan it like a business RoboCop, and by the time she went to chat with her team, she knew exactly what they should do. When it came to performing the tasks, Karishma would never retreat to the background and would be the first one to suggest workarounds to obstacles that tripped others up.

It felt as if Karishma had studied every series of The Apprentice and followed a guidebook on how to succeed on the show – but here’s the catch: she’s never watched it before. “I can’t believe I’ve gone and done it after not having watched the show, I feel like that’s so cheeky,” she said after winning.

Karishma was that rare Apprentice candidate – someone whose pieces to camera came across as confident as opposed to arrogant, perhaps because she had the know-how to back it up. And in her final pitch, she had the crowd of experts in stitches. (The pun-loving Sugar called her “a stand-up comedian”.) In fact, the applause was so rapturous it felt like she might get a standing ovation. “Honestly, I think I’ll buy whatever she’s selling,” one expert told Sugar after.

The Apprentice has faced criticism for feeling increasingly irrelevant in recent years, and starring a cast of doofuses, but Karishma – a genuinely talented businesswoman – felt like a good rebuttal. If the show can find more candidates like her, then those claims should fall away. “I feel really proud because when I came into this, I felt like a small fish,” Karishma said at the end of the show, a cheeky grin creeping onto her face. “I’m not a small fish no more.”

Viewers are in huge agreement over Karishma’s victory, taking to social media to declare her “a very worthy winner” of The Apprentice and “the best candidate in the HISTORY of the show”.

“Well done, Karishma… a well-deserved win,” one commenter wrote, while another echoed: “I’ve been rooting for Karishma since the beginning. What an excellent winner and probably the best Apprentice series in years.”

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One comment read: “Lord Sugar knows ball. Karishma was a breath of fresh air throughout. Loved her as a person and her business looked phenomenal. Her business pitch was one of the very best ever seen on #TheApprentice. She was head and shoulders above absolutely all of them.”

“As someone who has watched all 20 seasons of The Apprentice, I can confidently say that Karishma [is] not just the best winner, but best candidate in the history of the show. There’s no contest. There has never been someone as talented, creative and intelligent as her,” another fan commented.

Even the cynics were converted, with one saying: “I normally watch The Apprentice to take the p*** out of a bunch of wannabes who should be nowhere near business. Karishma was undoubtedly the best candidate I’ve seen in the 20 years of the series.”

Hats off to Karishma for raising the bar – and bringing worth back to a long-running format.

The announcement forms part of NatWest Group’s “growing together” plan, which sets out how the bank aims to help build conditions for UK growth by backing regions, championing mid-market companies, strengthening infrastructure and housing, boosting financial confidence among families and young people, and supporting innovators shaping the economy.

Designs were bought by Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Michelle Pfeiffer, Trudie Styler and Clemence Poesy, among others.

A Scots fashion brand which catered for numerous A-list celebs, including Jennifer Lopez and Madonna, has gone into liquidation.

Queene and Belle Limited, based in the Borders, has voluntarily closed the business. Founded in 2001, the firm has created designs which were worn by many celebrities.

Previously speaking to The Herald, Angela Bell, the company’s director, revealed who has snapped up their designs. She said: “Designs have been bought by Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Michelle Pfeiffer, Trudie Styler and Clemence Poesy, among others, which is great.”

Thomson Cooper’s Richard Gardiner has been named Queene and Bell’s liquidator. He is said to guarantee that “all creditors will be paid in full.”

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The judgement has been referred to as a “members’ voluntary liquidation.” This indicates that although the company is still operating well and can settle its debts, the owners have decided to shut it down.

Speaking in 2015 on what attracted their high-end clientele, Ms Bell added: “We have a very artistic approach to all the pieces, and so much thought is put into every detail.

“It all comes from my perspective – that’s what my customers buy into. We have a high price point, so we’re hanging next to global brands like Lanvin.

“Being small can be difficult, but we can offer something different, a much more personal service.”

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The Summertime Sadness singer told the BBC in 2024: “I mean, how has that not happened yet? Can we just say, (singing) ‘it’s only 24 hours in a day’, I wrote that for them, but Sam (Smith, who sang Writing’s On The Wall, the theme to 2015’s Skyfall) you did a wonderful job, really, no I’m just kidding…

Alejandro Garnacho left Manchester United last summer to join Chelsea and could be on the move again

Alejandro Garnacho reportedly made it clear that he wanted to swap Manchester United for Chelsea several months before he left the club. Garnacho left United last summer to join the Londoners in a deal worth up to £40million.

Since leaving United, Garnacho has made 38 appearances for Chelsea and has scored just eight goals in his debut season at Stamford Bridge.

The Argentina international has been forced to deal with a change of manager during his first season after leaving United, with Chelsea replacing former boss Enzo Maresca with Liam Rosenior back in January.

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Just months after leaving United, a fresh update has emerged about Garnacho’s future, including some insight into his final season at Old Trafford.

READ MORE: Alejandro Garnacho value rockets after Man United transfer despite Chelsea strugglesREAD MORE: Bruno Fernandes lifts lid on behaviour in Man United training – ‘I had a lot of fights with him’

The Sun have reported that Chelsea are weighing up whether to cash in on Garnacho just a year after signing the forward from United.

The report also claims that Garnacho was keen to join Chelsea as early as January last year, with the player’s agent said to have made a trip to Stamford Bridge in the same month.

Garnacho’s agent is former Chelsea player Enrique de Lucas, and it now remains to be seen what the future holds for the former United star.

Last summer, Garnacho expressed a desire to leave United, and was critical of the club’s former manager Ruben Amorim, following the decision to drop the forward to the bench for the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

This was followed by Garnacho being left out of the squad for the Premier League finale against Aston Villa last season, and the forward recently opened up about his final months as a United player.

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“I remember that, in the last six months, I was not playing like before at Manchester United,” Garnacho recently told Premier League Productions.

“I started to be on the bench. It’s not such a bad thing – I was only 20 years old – but in my mind it was like I had to play every game.

“In my mind, maybe it was also on me. I started to do some bad things. But it was just a moment in life and sometimes you have to make decisions. I am really proud to be [at Chelsea] and still in the Premier League at a club like this.

“About United, I have nothing wrong to say about the club, anyone at the club or my team-mates. It was just a moment that changed and life continues. I have no regrets.”

Mohammed Mizanoor Rahman, who owns Norton restaurant Pangea, appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (April 15) charged with a string of offences. 

They include three counts of assaulting a child under 13 by sexual touching and two counts of taking an indecent photograph/pseudo photograph of a child.

The 34-year-old, who is also known as Mizzy, did not enter any pleas during the short hearing.

Rahman, of Durham Street in Stockton, was remanded in custody until his next appearance at Teesside Crown Court on Wednesday, May 13.

The restauranter first opened Pangea on Norton Road in 2023.

The problem has been ongoing, according to Cllr Hilary Fairclough, for several months, usually reappearing after periods of heavy rain.

Council officers tested the water and found it was not untreated sewage as had been feared for locals, though they were unable to account for the smell or colour.

Cllr Fairclough said: “Several residents have reported this to me – they all said it was terribly smelly.

Residents described the small as ‘foul’ (Image: Hilary Fairclough)

“It’s been going on for a quite a long time as well – it was hot on Facebook just before Easter, but some residents have told me its been going on for months, not weeks.

“I think it was the Facebook pictures that finally got people to take a serious look at it – just the fact that it looked so horrible.”

The sludgy, foul-smelling water flows down the ginnel from Whithill lane, past Highview and the back of Eastgrove Avenue.

There was at first concern that the water was coming from the nearby Sweetloves Water Treatment Plant, though United Utilities investigated this and found this not to be the case.

Despite this, neither United Utilities nor Bolton Council were able to ascertain the source of the water nor what it consisted of.

The water seems to have formed a thick sludge (Image: Hilary Fairclough)

But United Utilities have install a channel drain on the path to fix the issue, work which they will complete ‘within the next few weeks’.

United Utilities said: “We’ve carried out a number of investigations on site and don’t believe the water to be coming from Sweetloves water treatment works or the wastewater and clean water networks in the area.

“We’ve agreed with the council as a goodwill gesture that we will install a channel drain on the path to direct the water into a nearby road gully which will rectify the issue – this will be done within the next couple of weeks.”

Williams’ cautiousness about going under the knife suggests he still has ambitions to continue on the baize for years to come – and who can blame him.

Last October, at the age of 50 years and 206 days, he beat the mark set back in 1982 by fellow Welshman Ray Reardon to become the oldest winner of a ranking event when he triumphed in the Xi’an Grand Prix.

Even now, having turned 51 last month, he is ranked sixth in the world going into the World Championship this weekend.

“When I was 45 I said I’d like to see where I am in the rankings when I’m 50,” Williams recalled.

“I’m not retiring, I made that decision years ago. Let’s see where I am in the rankings at 55, that’ll be interesting.”

He may have ruled out retirement but is not feeling quite so confident about his chances at the Crucible this year.

“I’m still fighting. I’m still trying and that’s all I can say,” he said.

“I try my best in every tournament and if you win, great, if you lose, that’s not the end of the world.

“I’ve been doing this since I was an eight-year-old kid. My father was going down the mines for 30 years, my grandfather for 50 years.

“I’m just travelling around the world playing the stupid game of snooker, getting paid well for it and enjoying it. You can’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Teenager Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, went missing in 2024

American singer D4vd has been taken into custody following the discovery of a missing teenage girl’s body in his Tesla.

The TikTok sensation, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, faces arrest in connection with the death of the teenager who disappeared in 2024. The Coachella performer became the subject of a grand jury probe into the suspected murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14, after her remains were located in his vehicle in September.

Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on Thursday that the 21 year old is being detained without bail, with the case due to be submitted to the District Attorney’s office on Monday for potential charges.

The musician has remained silent regarding the case, though his representatives confirmed he is assisting authorities with their enquiries, reports the Daily Star. Information surrounding the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez has been restricted from public disclosure, according to officials.

The court directive prevents any details about Hernandez’s death from being released or published on the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office website. Hernandez’s remains were found inside the boot of D4vd’s impounded Tesla on September 8 2025, after complaints of a foul odour at a Hollywood tow yard.

Rivas Hernandez, from Lake Elsinore in California, was last spotted in April 2024. Following the discovery of Celeste’s body, D4vd called off the remainder of his tour dates, with a representative confirming his co-operation with police enquiries. “D4vd has been informed about what’s happened. And, although he is still out on tour, he is fully cooperating with the authorities,” a spokesperson for the artist stated.

The LAPD told The Mirror US in a statement: “On September 17, 2025, detectives from the Robbery-Homicide Division served a search warrant on the 1300 block of Doheny Place in connection with the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Several items of evidence were recovered and will be analysed by detectives in the coming days.

“This is an ongoing investigation. Investigators are following up on several leads. Once additional information is available to share with the public, it will be released by the Media Relations Division.”

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