She may be known as a tough-talking businesswoman on The Apprentice. But, in an exclusive interview and photoshoot at home with HELLO! magazine, Karren Brady has revealed a far softer side. Speaking to the magazine about her mum, Karren's daughter Sophia says: "I love her just as she is. She is just my mum to me, although she is an inspiration. All my friends tell me that." Husband Paul says that, after she was treated for a brain aneurysm seven years ago, his wife changed considerably.
"It made her softer and she's less likely to get so fraught about the unimportant things that used to wind her up," he revealed.And Karren said that the whole ordeal lead her to pursue new ventures, including appearing as a mentor on The Apprentice. "I would never have done The Apprentice had I not gone through the experience," Karren tells HELLO!
"It made me realize that life is short – and fun – and that you should try new things. I really believe in life-long learning. The moment you think you know it all is when you don't know anything at all. "The business mogul also says she regrets going back to work within days after giving birth to Sophia 17 years ago – saying she was under too much pressure to take more time off. "I regret that, but I didn't understand then," she said. "In those days, there was no such thing as flexible working or a work-life balance. It is absolutely essential that you take time off when you have a family. I just didn't know that then and nobody told me that it was okay. I was still trying to prove myself so I carried on working."
And now, she says, she likes nothing more than staying at home and cooking for the Paul, Sophia and her their son Paulo. "We rarely go out and I love to cook. We do a lot of Friday night dinners and Sunday lunches. A slow-roast lamb is my speciality, or a king-prawn curry on a Saturday night." To read more of HELLO!'s interview with Karren, including her thoughts on plastic surgery, how she makes her children learn the value of money and the secret to why she and Paul are still so happy after 18 years of marriage, pick up the latest issue, 1275, of HELLO!
