Apprentice candidate quits show before task

Warning - contains spoilers. Do not read any further if you do not want to know who has left.

Karren Brady and Claude Littner have returned to assist Lord Sugar in the latest series

A candidate in this year's series of The Apprentice has quit the competition early, saying she was "just not enjoying" the process.

Aleksandra King was seen in Thursday evening's episode telling her teammates during a planning meeting that she wanted to exit the show immediately.

The business consultancy owner said: "I've found the process overwhelming, stressful and really intense."

It is the first time a business hopeful has walked before a task has begun.

King told her teammates: "I'm going to leave the process, I'm really sorry... I'm going to go."

Digital marketing manager Mukai Noiri was seen telling King: "Aleks, we're just starting a task, it's not exactly the ideal moment."

But King repeated her intention to leave before wishing her teammates luck and leaving the room.

Speaking outside the room, King said: "I just want to go home to my kids and my husband now."

Her teammates expressed surprise at the decision, with Grainne McCoy describing it as "a bit of a shock for the system".

King's decision to exit left 15 candidates remaining to compete for a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar.

Her team continued to work on the task without her, which saw them taking over a section of department store Liberty of London.

Digital marketing manager Mukai Noiri was fired by Lord Sugar at the end of the episode.