Cullen hires Michelle after epic battle

A FORMER applicant for a job as a Playboy presenter has been named as winner of Ireland’s version of The Apprentice.

Michelle Massey, who describes herself as “ambitious, independent, strong, heartfelt, loyal, outgoing and creative” beat off the competition from runner-up Niamh McDonald to become Bill Cullen’s apprentice on the TV3 show in what will be a €100,000 per year job.

According to her biography for the programme, the 28-year-old Telco sales consultant moved out of home in Lincolnshire at the age of 15, and at age 19 she travelled to Ireland with €300 in her pocket “not knowing she would never leave again”.

For 13 weeks she fought it out with the other contestants carrying out a wide variety of tasks under the instruction of Bill Cullen.

To get the millionaire’s finger pointed at her this time round but accompanied by the words “you’re hired” was news to her ears.

“I could not believe it especially after the last couple of weeks,” she said.

She dismissed suggestions that she had entered the show to further her modelling career.

“I have done the modelling, that’s not why I was there,” she said.

“Brian and Jackie see us for every second of the task. If there was anyone in there who was in it for anything other than getting the job, the second they were in the boardroom, they’d be gone.”

She said throughout the show, she never said she could win it.

“I didn’t want to jinx myself,” she said. “The way I did it was task by task.”