Jana Denzel from The Apprentice quits amidst racism controversy over use of term ‘coloured’ to describe a black person

The Apprentice’s contestant Jana Denzel made a surprising decision during Thursday’s episode by leaving the show following a ‘race-row scandal’.

It was the end of the road for the contestant as he became the fifth competitor to leave the show, as he voluntarily offered to leave the process.

It was week five and the candidates had a crack at creating and branding a new chocolate easter egg, before pitching to industry buyers. 

Jana shocked everyone in the boardroom by choosing to exit the competition because he felt that the other candidates had a stronger desire to succeed.

Before the final decisions were made, Jana expressed his feelings stating, ‘Sorry Lord Sugar, I just wanted to say as well, I’m proud of everyone’s contribution towards this. definitely feel like you guys are giving it more.’

‘I know how much some people want it but I’m going to be honest with you, I’m not sure if I want it as bad as them so I think whether we win or lose, I would like to step away from the process.’

Following this it is revealed that Team Parallel led by Jana have lost the task.

Following the results, Lord Sugar asked once more if Jana was certain that he wished to leave the process, to which Jana confirms that he is, with Lord Sugar giving his closing remarks.

He said: ‘Ok, well look, it’s been a pleasure having you here… you seem like a stand up fellow and I wish you well.’

Speaking more to his reasoning for leaving the process, Jana said: ‘I had an incredible experience on the show, but after much deliberation, I realised it wasn’t the right path for me. 

‘Regardless of the outcome of the task, I had already made the decision to step away as I didn’t feel it was right for me to continue when there were so many talented candidates who wanted it more than I did. 

‘My business and my family have always been my priority, and I wanted to get back to them. 

‘I’m very grateful for the experience and I’ll cherish all the brilliant people I’ve met along the way and I’m now looking forward to supporting everyone from the sidelines and focussing on growing my business, which I’m so passionate about.’

Jana runs a cosmetic dentistry practice in Harley Street, and boasts A-List stars and Grammy Award winners as some of his clients. 

He hoped that with Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment, he could take his business global. 

Last week, MailOnline exclusive revealed that one candidate decided to quit the process in the current series. 

A TV source told MailOnline: ‘The Apprentice isn’t for everyone and some of the candidates only realise that once they’re in the process.

‘One contestant this series decided to leave the competition early telling Lord Sugar ‘this isn’t for me.’

‘It came as a total shock in the boardroom – some of the cast now believe the candidate wanted to avoid the potential embarrassment of being fired.

‘They saved Lord Sugar the trouble and simply gave up the chance of becoming his next business partner.’

A source close to the candidate told MailOnline: ‘Ultimately, they realised that the show wasn’t the right process for them and their fellow candidates wanted it more.

‘Staying in the process wouldn’t have been fair to their competitors as far as they were concerned.

‘They have a very successful business, and they always had one eye on getting back to that. Everyone involved just wishes them the absolute best.’

It comes after Jana was reportedly reprimanded by bosses after being accused of using racist language.

Jana was thought to have used the term ‘coloured’ to describe a black person during a task.

Sources told The Sun that Jana’s comment was reported to show bosses who made him undergo diversity training. The BBC insisted on Thursday his exit was not related to this incident.

Jana had been part of a team creating a character for a marketing campaign when he is understood to have used the phrase ‘coloured’ to describe a black person.

It’s thought the comment particularly upset two female members of the team.

A source said: ‘The team had been discussing what the character should look like, and there were suggestions from some members to make sure the character was inclusive.

‘It was then that Jana made the ”coloured comment”, which particularly upset two female candidates on his team.’

‘While his co-stars did push back and make it clear to Jana the comment was unacceptable, it was then escalated further when it was flagged to the production team, who pulled Jana aside.’

Dr Jana, who has spoken of his pride at his Sri Lankan heritage and refugee parents, sat in on discussions with producers to make sure he understood the offensive nature of the remark.

It’s thought that Apprentice viewers will not see his comment on screen, but his exit will air during episode five in two weeks.

A spokesperson for The Apprentice told MailOnline: ‘We were made aware of an ill-informed comment made by Jana during the process and action was taken.

‘Whilst we have made it very clear to Jana that his use of language was not acceptable, we are confident there was no ill-intent behind it and the concerns of all parties involved have been addressed and resolved.

‘Jana withdrew from the process for completely unrelated and separate reasons, and he has our full support.’

Earlier in the series, candidates were given warnings about sensitive language during a task also involving skin colour.

Jana runs a cosmetic dentistry practice in Harley Street, and boasts A-List stars and Grammy Award winners as some of his clients. He hoped that with Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment, he could take his business global.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for The Apprentice and Dr Jana Denzel for further comment.

The Apprentice airs Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.