AN ALTRINCHAM businesswoman is one of the candidates in the new series of the Apprentice.

Thirty-one year-old Rebecca Jeffery is one of 18 hopefuls hoping to be chosen by Lord Sugar as the Apprentice 2016 in the BBC popular series, which returns to our screens on Thursday October 6 at 9pm.

Rebecca is the owner of a marketing and design business, working as both the account manager and creative director.

She prides herself on being relentless and possessing an infectious enthusiasm, but admits that numbers and calculations are a weakness for her.

She said: "People often foolishly mistake my enthusiasm for silliness or positivity for naivety. I’m proof that you can get things done without whingeing.”

The candidates are vying to secure Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment in their business plan.

The 12-week series will follow Lord Sugar’s potential business partners as they set out to prove their business skills are ready for any challenge in the fight to the final boardroom.

The nine men and nine women come from a range of careers and backgrounds, from bakeries and business consultancy to property and IT, each with different experience to draw from during the tasks.

Lord Sugar said: “I need to see who’s got a good business brain, that’s all I’m interested in. The winner gets a £250,000 investment and it will change someone’s life forever. You are going to learn more about yourself throughout the course of this process, I promise you that.

"Sometimes, some people can’t stand the heat, and they complain and they moan.

"If you want to moan you can send me an email at lordsugar@idontcare.com.”