Not many people can say they've got 10 years of experience as Lord Alan Sugar's business partner on their CV - but The Apprentice 2013 winner Leah Totton proudly can. The 34-year-old entrepreneur has worked closely with the tycoon for a whole decade; and in that time she's opened the first Dr Leah Clinic, has been awarded 'Best Clinic London' twice and created a new brand that's close to her heart.
As she launches her sustainable, pregnancy-friendly and scientific skincare collection, the mum-to-be has opened up about what it's like sharing a company with Lord Sugar. From his seven-figure promise to the best advice he's ever given her, and the business lessons she'll be passing down to new female mentees.
While Lord Sugar is yet to visit one of their three joint cosmetic clinics for a personal treatment, his overdue Botox appointment could be on the horizon.
Leah told the Mirror: "He always said that when we hit seven figures, he will come and have Botox. We were just shy of that last year and we're very close to getting him in.
"But he did say, 'I'll give you my name but I can't lend you my face'."
A whole decade after winning the show, Leah still works closely with Alan Sugar, and he continues to own an equal half of the business.
"I have an absolute respect for him and we get on very, very well," she explained.
"I think everything I've learnt in business has been from him, and that's really invaluable."
Leah feels reassured that she can contact Alan Sugar all hours of the day with business worries and he'll always respond.
"He is available 24 hours a day and replies to emails immediately," she said. "I don't know when the man sleeps!
"I wouldn't ring him up about anything in the middle of the night, but if there was anything major, he'd respond within 30 minutes."
The main lesson the business tycoon has taught Leah is to "have confidence in yourself".
"I remember an incident when we first opened the clinic and I rang him up quite late in the day really upset," she recalled.
"He told me to calm down and pull myself together, and have confidence in my own business.
"That's something I pass onto my own team and other women in business who I mentor."
It's not just confidence Lord Sugar has instilled in Leah, but a wealth of knowledge too.
"He's been really great for me. When I did The Apprentice, I was 24, so probably a bit younger than some of the other applicants and I didn't actually have any business experience at all," she explained.
"I needed a lot of support with practical stuff, like negotiating, rental contracts and trademark accounts.
"It was a steep learning curve for me in that first year and I spoke to him honestly most days.
"I know the other winners quite well and I think I needed the most support from him as I came from the NHS."
Although winning The Apprentice is high up on her list, Leah's greatest achievement is her medical degree, and something Lord Sugar has always understood.
"Not many people know that I went back to the NHS for three years to train as a GP, three years after the show, and he was incredibly supportive of that," she said.
"As much as he's been a great mentor, he's also really understood my own professional development as a doctor."
Sharing a few gruelling insights of the show, Leah revealed the Apprentices really are surprised when the phone rings ridiculously early in the morning.
"You have 20 minutes to get up and get ready. There was 18 people on our series and four or five in each bedroom, sharing a bathroom, so it's a mad rush," she said.
"And you never knew what time the wake-up call would be. I used to put my hair in rollers at night so when I'd wake up, I could just take them out and feel ready."
One thing The Apprentice winner said contestants don't anticipate is how much time you spend with your teammates.
"You do not leave that house. You work with the same people all day - some tasks are 15 hours long - and then you go home and have dinner with them and sleep in the same room," she explained.
"I wasn't in the boardroom much but it would have been very awkward if you argued with someone and then had to spend the night with them."
The cosmetic doctor would advise future contestants to prepare for the aftermath and make sure you're thick-skinned.
"I found The Apprentice really hard. I thought it was really difficult and intense, but then launching the business was even harder," she said.
Though she's exceeded all expectations, and 10 years on, the pair have a new business venture, Dr Leah Skincare.
"It's taken seven years of formulation as I wanted it to be vegan, sustainable and pregnancy-friendly with recyclable packaging," Leah explained.
The mum-to-be "didn't plan on launching it eight-months pregnant", but when you're a business superwoman, it seems that's just the way it is.
