The Apprentice's Nicola FROM CLEANING TOILET TO DRESSING THE KARDASHIANS!

The Kiwi entrepreneur reveals the grit behind her glitzy past

- Florence Hartigan

Don’t make the mistake of underestimating Nicola Spicer. “People really have such a misconception of who I am!” laughs the petite blonde, 36, the founder of luxury swimwear label Zingiber and a contestant on the new season of The Apprentice Aotearoa.

“People judge me because I look a certain way. Maybe it’s the hair or because I look young, but sometimes I have to be like, ‘Sorry, mate, you can take a seat. I’ve actually done quite a few things in my life!’ I surprise a lot of people with my story.”

The designer, who grew up on a dairy farm in Thames, initially funded her line of top-shelf togs by working as a cleaner in the mines of Western Australia. This meant gruelling 10 to 12-hour days, working for four weeks at a time, followed by one week off, with shifts often starting in the middle of the night.

“Those were some of the hardest years for me because I was in the middle of the desert, away from everybody. I remember waking up at 3am and it’d be pouring with rain. There would be a full inch of mud through all the offices I had to clean. I’d bawl my eyes out, just mopping and crying.”

But while the punishing hours and conditions meant missing friends, family and a social life, Nicola kept her eye on the prize.