Yasmina Siadatan

Yasmina Siadatan (born 1981 in Hull, England) is a British businesswoman of mixed British and Iranian descent. She was the winner of the fifth series of the British television show The Apprentice. As the winner she was offered a job working for businessman Sir Alan Sugar (now Lord Sugar), who presents the show.

Early life

Siadatan was British-born in 1981 as one of six children. Her father, Iranian Medi Siadatan, a restaurateur, had moved from Italy to England in 1975 and married Yasmina's mother Paula Gabbott. However they split up shortly after Yasmina's birth after it emerged that Paula was having an affair.

Career

Siadatan studied at Kendrick School, Reading, after which she went onto University where she gained a BSc in Economic History with Population Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science and moved to Caversham near Reading in Berkshire. In 2007 with the help of her brother she set up a restaurant named Myalacarte.

In October 2011 the restaurant gained an entry to the Michelin guide for the first time.

The Apprentice

Despite starting and being at the head of a successful business, Siadatan entered The Apprentice in 2009 as one of sixteen contestants. She reached the final where she competed against Kate Walsh and was eventually hired as Sir Alan Sugar's apprentice, taking a £100,000 a year job with his company, Amscreen Health Care, where 2008's winner, Lee McQueen also worked. Siadatan holds the strongest record as a project manager on the UK edition of The Apprentice, with a record of 3 wins and 0 losses. This record was later tied in series 7 by Helen Louise Milligan in week 11, who won as project manager in weeks 6, 9 & 11.

Personal life

Yasmina's father fought a legal battle to make polygamy legal in the United Kingdom after it emerged that he had three wives. He had three children, including Yasmina, with his first wife Paula. He succeeded to marry Cinzia Crispio, Stephania Loi and Sarah Deakin but only Stephania Loi had been an official wife. Her father had a total of sixteen children.

Having dated her childhood sweetheart Jack Patey for 10 years, on 22 August 2010 it was confirmed Yasmina was four months pregnant with a child by work colleague Andrew Hepburn, having dated for six months.

On 19 September, Yasmina ran in the Bupa Great North Run to raise funds for Alzheimer's Society, Bupa's nominated charity for the 2010 Bupa Great Run Series.

See also

• List of The Apprentice candidates (UK)
• The Apprentice (UK series 5)

External links

• BBC Yasmina interview