The Apprentice winner Dean Franklin said he and his kids were “in tears” as they watched the final at a specially laid on party. The 35-year-old from Essex was hired by Lord Sugar on Thursday night’s BBC show and will now see his air conditioning business land a £250,000 investment.
On social media, he shared a video of the moment his children – Ted, nine, and Bonnie, seven – learned he had won, after keeping it a secret from them for weeks. They also posed for cute photos and appearing on Lorraine on ITV, Dean said: “It was emotional seeing their reactions to the result. My boy and my girl were both crying. We were all crying.”
His wife Chloe, 33, also posted a heartfelt message on instagram alongside new photos.
She said: “What a journey from start to finish. I don’t even know where to begin! It’s hard to even put into words. Our time apart was the hardest thing we’ve ever been through as a family, with so little contact too which made it 10 times harder! so many emotions involved and LOTS of tears too. Every week got harder and harder, waiting for a phone call or a letter was like waiting forever! But we’re a good team, we got through it and came out the other side with a massive WIN, so in the end it was worth it!
“Dean, you have done us unbelievably proud my heart is bursting!!! To stand by your side and see you live your dream has been absolutely amazing and a moment in life I will never forget. I’m so lucky to call you my husband and how lucky are the kids to have you as their ‘Daddy Cool’.
Dean dubbed himself Daddy Cool in the show’s final as he gave a pitch for his air conditioning firm.
He also told the Mirror on Friday of his delight at winning the show and also the toll it took on him.
He said: “I mean, it was so hard. I’ve never been away from my wife and kids for longer than a couple of days before, and when I first signed up to the process, I thought, You know what this, this might be a nice little break, you know, nice little break away from work, away from the family, signed me up, but then it hit me like a ton of bricks, that was not the reality of it.
“We was away for two and a half months. And yeah, you get one phone call home every every week for 10 minutes, and that’s all you get. And the 10 minutes goes really quick, especially when you’re both crying on the phone to each other. I missed my son’s birthday. I missed my wife’s birthday. I missed one of my good mates mum’s funeral. I missed a lot.
“But to come out on the other side as the winner. I mean, it’s just all worth it in the end.”
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