The Apprentice finalist Kathryn Burn has shared that she feels "sick" about the way the show's female contestants are covered in the media before they've even been on the show.
In an Instagram reel posted yesterday (January 29), Burn – who ended series 16 as runner-up behind Harpreet Kaur – shared derogatory comments that had been made about her based on photographs alone.
Her reel also featured news clippings that focused more on what the women "look like, rather than their capabilities and achievements", and in the caption, she shared the disappointment she feels when such articles "are written by women too".
"Does anyone else see these same articles come out every single year that The Apprentice candidates are announced?" she asked.
Related: The Apprentice making change to one stage after Alan Sugar admits to finding "hard to watch"
Burn recalled that following her own announcement as part of the 2022 cast, a photo of her in a bikini ended up on the front page of a newspaper.
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"This was just a photo that was just on my social media – someone had gone on there [and] taken that photo without my permission," she added.
Burn said in her video that the comments she received based on that photo "were actually outrageous".
She told viewers: "I was just reading through them now actually and I was called dumb, I had no business acumen, I was never going to get very far, I was there for fame, I look like a Love Islander, there was no way I was gonna do well, I was thick... all of these comments just because of this one photo."
Burn's caption on her Instagram post featured further derogatory comments that had been made about her appearance.
"She looks like a trolly dolly air head. She should dress more like a man for business and not flaunt her body... Yep this was a comment about me when my photo was released 2 years ago for @apprenticeuk," she wrote.
"I am SICK of seeing the same articles come out every single year when candidates are announced."
Related: The Apprentice 2024 reveals candidates for Lord Sugar's boardroom
In her Reel, Burn told viewers: "Now, I just wanted to come on here to say that in 2024, we do not need to fit into boxes. We can wear whatever we want to wear. We can post a photo in a bikini. We can wear tracksuit bottoms all day. We can be glam.
"We can literally be whoever we want to be and that does not impact how capable we are at business or how successful we are as a business person."
And in conclusion, Burn recalled some remarks from another Apprentice star, noting: "All I'm gonna say is Karren Brady agrees with me on this one!"
The Apprentice airs on BBC One, with spin-off series You're Fired airing immediately afterwards on BBC Two.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
