Karren Brady has a reputation as a tough-talking businesswoman. As Lord Alan Sugar's steely aide on The Apprentice, the hard-working mum-of-two has become a household name, and a role model for ambitious youngsters all across Britain.But who is Lord Sugar's right-hand woman? Here's five facts you should really know about Karren Brady.
1. She is the first lady of football. When she was just 23, Karren was appointed managing director of Birmingham football club by her old boss, who bought the team at her suggestion. She turned the club's fortunes around, gaining great respect in a male-dominated environment, and is now vice-chairman of West Ham United.2. She has sold her husband — twice. Karren met her husband, ex-Canadian international footballer Paul Peschisolido, during her time at Birmingham. While in charge, she sold him on the transfer market twice "and made a good profit both times. Not many women can say that!" The couple have been married for nearly 20 years and have two teenage children together.3. She famously returned to work three days after having her first child Sophia because she felt under too much pressure to take more time off. "I regret that, but I didn't understand then," she told HELLO!. "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."
4. Karren survived a life-threatening brain aneurysm in 2006, and was told she had a one-in-three chance of dying. "I would never have done The Apprentice had I not gone through the experience," she told 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."5. She is a big fan of her boss, Lord Sugar. "He has a real soft side. He brings his grandchildren to the audio to watch to show, him and his wife are always around, it's lovely," she told Digital Spy. "He's a real family man. I know he gets annoyed because in the edit all we end up seeing is him waving his finger, but he's a very loyal and great friend to have."
