The Apprentice contestant Shama Amin leaves show on health grounds

Shama Amin will leave the competition on Thursday's show

The Apprentice contestant Shama Amin has quit the hit BBC show due to health reasons, it has been announced.

Ms Amin, who has rheumatoid arthritis, said the competition, in which the winner takes home a £250,000 investment from Lord Alan Sugar, was "physically demanding".

Ahead of the series, the Bradford nursery owner said she wanted to "be a living example" for Asian women.

She said the decision to leave was "difficult".

Her departure means 13 entrepreneurs remain in the running to become Lord Sugar's next business partner.

On the show on Thursday, the mother-of-five will say: "Because of medical reasons, due to this process being so physically demanding, despite all the efforts the whole team has made to support me, I have had to make a difficult decision to leave the process.

"I would just like to thank you so much for this opportunity."

Baroness Karren Brady and previous contest winner Tim Campbell have joined Lord Sugar (centre) for this year"s competition

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints and usually affects the hands, feet and wrists.

Ms Amin, 41, added that "being a lady of colour, wearing a headscarf" meant she understood the challenges Asian women faced.

The first episode of the new series was watched by 4.6 million people, making it the show's most popular launch since 2017.