And this is not aimed at her but the lazy producers of the show. With any luck there might be a few of them on here, so can I just ask that they stop this bonkers, outdated crap that growing up on a council estate gives you a bad start in life?? I call it the 'Cheryl Cole' factor. I thought the apprentice would be above this sort of thing but last nights patronising rubbish made my blood boil...

They were only letting us know her background!!
Edit: They also told us Jim was brought up on a Council Estate!!...Jim for the win

Imagine if she had also been black and with a disability!

And had been knocked over on a zebra crossing pushing her baby.

But it was impressive that she had actually worked as a teenager and used her wages to pay for school dinners rather than get them for nothing as she was entitled to.

I thought the "I grew up on a council estate...." line was dated in view of recent claims that there are 6,000 people earning £100k or more in council-owned property. (although like the above poster I do give Natasha credit for not claiming free school meals. )

I grew up on a council estate. Didn't feel deprived of anything and it never held me back from University and a good career. It's so snobbish to assume all council estates lead to a tough, miserable life. The fact is if you're from London, council estates are now merged with new expensive private rented/owned properties, so there's a wider social mix.

It doesn't matter anyway because the candidates were not touting for public votes. We don't decide who stays and who goes. I thought Natasha has done very well for herself and there was no suggestion that her background was an unloving one.

This is very cynical but I don't believe people who claim they worked every hour outside school or whatever she said... (sorry, i can't remember, please put me right). I also don't believe she paid for her dinner rather than use tokens every day.

Having said that, I think she has done well for herself, has obviously worked hard, and what her mum said about her suits and heels was sweet.

OP, I agree that growing up in a 'council estate' certainly doesn't mean you get a bad start. But there is a difference between the schools you go to. Going to a normal/badly performing school does not set you up the way a private or well performing school does, IMO

I grew up on a council estate, I never claimed free school meals. People need to stop harping on about their tough countil estate upbringings, there are worse things. Like being homeless? Any home is better than no home.

I think there was more a point behind her mum being on benifits and her having so many siblings, hence the uniform tokens and free school meals.

I agree, living on a council estate dosent make you poor.....but she was poor so whats the problem?

This is not a fictional show where they made up a Natasha character who lived on a council estate and therefore is poor, it is a factional description of her childhood.

Now knowing Natasha's background, I can understand how she is so obviously driven. Working hard and achieving has become second nature to her.

However, what surprised me is her apparent lack of compassion for Susan. Susan has known hardship too and I would have thought that Natasha might have been a little more patient in the show. The ways she has spoken to Susan throughout has been so condescending and dismissive, I find it uncomfortable to watch. I'm not a particular fan of Susan, but she has kept her cool when being spoken to in a dismissive way by a number of candidates. I don't know how she has kept her temper.

What's so impressive about paying for something she could have got for free ?

Wouldn't it have been a wiser business decision to take the free dinner and invest the money she earned elsewhere ?

I think it's probably something like "this teenager saw the light". Almost to say that if a teenager goes out and has a desire to use their free time to work and earn for themselves, rather than be the average teenager and perhaps take what they're given, then they're someone well above the cut. I think it's nonsense... but whatever.

Erm no they didn't and Jim didn't grow up on a council estate

He grew up in a housing estate but it certainly wasn't a council property

The way I see it is that Natasha didn't want to see free school meals as a hand out, but as something she earned, hence why she didn't accept tokens for them. She isn't my favourite finalist but good on her for trying her best to improve herself during her obviously difficult school days.

Escaping her background did put her in a better light. The only thing that puzzled me is why her present boss thinks she's so good at business. Maybe he's bigging her up so he doesn't have to take her back.

I thought it was more that she didn't want her friends to know she was entitled to free school meals so she paid for them herself.

It isn't like that makes much of a difference. When I look at successful people, they come from all types of backgrounds. I think that the secret is to stop looking at the past and using it as an excuse, but discover what you can do. I've never used my past as an automatic entitlement for a medal, and nobody knows what it consisted of except those who were either involved, or those who saw. Not using it doesn't entitle you to a medal either! I think it's a matter of earning from yourself, for yourself.

This whole council estate thing puts her in the different crowd, as if to say that she had to try harder than others to succeed because she started further back. I don't think it works like that at all.

No less admirable in my opinion. She still took the initiative to do the work, even if her motives were teenage in nature.

I don't know if you've actually watched any of the actual TA programmes but Natasha has never used it as an excuse - or brought it up at all.

It was the production company who made a point of it.

Natasha may not be my favourite candidate but the way people are determined to rubbish any little thing that could possibly be put forward as a positive is verging on the odious.

I don't know if you've actually read what I said, but I never directly said she used it as an excuse anywhere.

Given that this is a thread about Natasha that's rather implied.

"I think that the secret is to stop looking at the past and using it as an excuse"

Maybe Natasha is using that secret, which is why she may become successful. The thread can be about her, but I still didn't make this implication that she needs to. You simply made an assumption. Those were two separate paragraphs in different context that you lumped in the quote.

Oh...

Even though I agree it's an outdated perception of people living on a council estate I don't think it was the producers fault it came out like that, to some. It was her mother who actually said when talking about university that she was proud of her because you either leave home to go straight into work or have children.

Agree.
BUT there is a greater percentage of people living on CE's (nationwide) who do not work, and its rarer for them to go to university and the culture is less encouraging for becoming an executive.
There is a biggish CE in Taunton and, coming from there, I'd guess she would be in the top 5% of achievers.
It's not about being deprived as much as it is about role models, expectation and community culture.
I think she has done well, regadless of her back ground, but I think its safe to say, she had less of a 'leg up' than say, Tom or Jim (also from a CE) or Helen