"David Beckham wore skirts" — The Apprentice's Mia on her shocking elimination after designing skirts for men

The Apprentice season 19, episode 10, titled Fashion, aired on April 3, 2025, and saw Mia Collins get eliminated after failing to impress the experts with her men's clothing line, which included skirts and crop tops. In an interview with Yahoo UK published on April 4, she expressed her disappointment and surprise, disagreeing with the consensus about her outfit design.

"If you look back years ago, David Beckham wore skirts, so I didn't really think we were doing anything that outlandish — if he can do it, why can't we?" Mia said.

Mia's statement was a direct reference to former footballer David, who wore a white and black sarong in 1998. The Apprentice evictee explained that she was trying to bring her team's project manager, Jordan's concept of the "modern-day man," to life.

While reflecting on her idea, which Jordan initially rejected in favor of trousers and jackets but later accepted, Mia admitted she had pushed "quite a lot." However, she emphasized that she pushed with "good intentions." Looking back on her elimination due to her unconventional attire for men, Mia said:

"Even watching it now, I'm still surprised that I go."

For this week's challenge, the contestants had to launch an environmentally conscious, sustainable fashion label, design a collection, and develop a brand before hosting a fashion show for buyers. Despite securing orders from more retailers, Mia's team failed to sell units of their niche products.

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"I would have loved to have been in the final five" — The Apprentice star Mia comments on her elimination and journey on the show

While reflecting on her time on The Apprentice, Mia said she was "really happy" with how her contributions were shown on TV, and added that it garnered positive reviews from viewers. Although she entered the contest to win, she believed there was a reason why her business plan "wasn't scrutinized," which allowed her to leave "with 10 weeks of good."

"Obviously, I haven't had any commentary on my business plan, so I don't know whether it was good or bad, but I'm definitely gutted. I would have loved to have been in the final five," Mia added.

Regardless, The Apprentice cast member thanked everyone for "the 10 weeks of support and just encouragement throughout" before apologizing to her fans for not entering the final five as they had expected her to. She admitted it felt like she had "let people down a little bit." Even then, she thanked the supportive "commentary online," confessing she read all of it.

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"I'm still happy with how it all went" — The Apprentice star Mia opens up about her experience being in the final boardroom

Mia regretted not fighting her case "a little bit harder" in the final boardroom. Although she was pleased she took accountability, she wished she had presented her arguments better. She believed it was her "lack of experience" being in the boardroom that jeopardized everything.

She added that it was a "high risk" and a "high pressure" situation at a "very important stage" in the competition, which made the discussion even more crucial. Consequently, she wished she were in the boardroom more so she knew how to handle it.

"No matter what way you look at it, I'm still happy with how it all went," she stated.

Mia discussed Liam's performance, saying he did not have a concept for the task. According to her, to lead from the front, one needed to persuade people to join their side, and Jordan put forward a concept that she and Anisa liked.

The Apprentice star claimed that if Liam had developed a concept, he could have been the project manager.

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The Apprentice alum Mia reveals her "highlight" moment on the show

When asked about the moment she would cherish from the show, Mia recalled when expert Lord Sugar complimented her TV selling skills.

"Getting a compliment from Lord Sugar about TV selling was the highlight of The Apprentice. I still beam about that episode," she said.

Mia added that she was glad the one skill she was "passionate about" was recognized by the person whose opinion mattered the most in the process. Although she appreciated Tim Campbell and Baroness Karren's comments, the recognition from the "big man" was "such a win."

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The Apprentice continues every Thursday at 9 pm on BBC One.