Apprentice star Melody Hossaini speaks about her extraordinary life
She was born in war-torn Iran, was held at gunpoint at the age of 12 and then kidnapped by a deranged taxi driver who dumped her in a desert. But nothing could prepare Melody Hossaini for the boardroom grilling at the hands of ruthless business boss Lord Sugar. On Wednesday nine million viewers watched the pushy entrepreneur reduced to tears as she was booted off The Apprentice. It was an uncharacteristic show of emotion from Melody who, at 26, has had to deal with more terrifying situations than most of us experience in a lifetime. She has always managed to keep her cool and her steely attitude has led to her becoming one of the most controversial stars on this series, with Lord Sugar branding her ruthless and a tiger. And a number of high-profile clashes with other contestants including a blazing row with Zoe Beresford in a supermarket have added to her tough image. But her distraught reaction in the boardroom proved just how desperate the impressive businesswoman who runs a global company with tens of thousands of customers was to a secure a coveted 250,000 investment from Lord Sugar. Last night Midlands-based Melody opened up about her extraordinary life and her terrible disappointment at failing to win, despite surviving to the final six in the competition. Ive cheated death so many times that sometimes I think Ive got nine lives, she said. I was born during the Iran-Iraq war when bombs were blowing up neighbours houses. I was bound and gagged in my own home by three burglars who threatened to shoot my mum. And then three years ago I was convinced I was going to die when I was driven off into the desert outside Abu Dhabi and dumped. Whenever I was faced with these terrifying situations I managed to find an inner strength and stay calm. It has made me a real fighter. But when people saw me in the boardroom on Wednesday all that strength and confidence was stripped away to pure emotion and I showed just how much winning The Apprentice actually meant to me. I didnt want to just get to the final. I didnt want to come second. I wanted to win. I was absolutely desperate to work with Lord Sugar and I was devastated when I was fired. Melody was born in Tehran, under the countrys horrendously strict post-Islamic revolution regime. Not only was the country trying to cope with dramatic changes made by the tyrannical Ayatollah Khomeini, it was engaged in a brutal war with neighbouring Iraq ruled by evil dictator Saddam Hussein. Melodys maths teacher father and university-educated mother were unhappy and used fake passports to flee to Europe. On the first attempt they were stopped at the Iranian border and Melodys father was arrested. Second time around they made it to Malm in Sweden and the family set up a restaurant and started enjoying life. Looking back it was the happiest time of my life, said Melody. I was at a completely white Swedish school and I did get a bit of stick because I looked and sounded different, but it was nothing I couldnt handle as my life had never been easy. On the whole I loved it in Sweden. Then at the age of 12 her happiness was shattered. She said: My parents had separated by that point and I had a little sister. But on that day I was at home with my 11-year-old brother. We heard a knock at the door and, although wed been told never to answer to strangers, my brother sprung up and pulled down the handle. There was a man standing there I didnt recognise and he started talking about how he lived in a flat downstairs and that our shower was leaking through the floor. I knew something was wrong because Id never seen him before. Then all of a sudden he motioned with his hand and two men burst in holding handguns. My first reaction was just one of panic. I turned and ran towards the balcony but one of the men grabbed me and herded us into the bedroom. She added: Then the third man shoved gags in our mouths, tied us up and threw us into a cupboard. He said, If your mother comes back were going to shoot her. With the chilling threat ringing in their ears the two children were left in the dark until their mother found them five agonising minutes later. Melody said: My mum must have literally passed them on the stairs as they were leaving. When she saw us she was just absolutely dumbstruck. She was so stunned she didnt even untie us. It was actually me that managed to wriggle out and call the police. Amazingly, Melody claims she wasnt traumatised by the event and even went to school the next day. But the culprits were never caught. Soon after, the family moved to Birmingham to start over. At school Melody was bullied again only this time it was much worse. She said: I hated every second of my school life in Birmingham. I was bullied because I seemed different and because we didnt have much money. I was teased about my clothes and my trainers, but I always stood up for myself. And I always had this absolute determination to succeed and do well. At 16 I got a job in Sainsburys stacking shelves because I hated taking money from my mother and made sure I passed my exams. At 18 she earned a place at Oxford Brookes University studying law. While there she set up a youth outreach programme for which she won an award. After finishing her degree she secured a position at a prominent youth organisation, an experience that convinced her to start up her own business to improve lives of children and young people by teaching innovative skills and development training. During her two-and-a-half years of running the company, she has attended seminars around the world with climate change expert Al Gore, the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. But it was on one of these trips that she faced death once again. In 2008 she changed planes in Abu Dhabi on the way back from Indonesia and decided to pass the time with a shopping trip. In a cab back on the way back to the airport she fell asleep, waking an hour later to find she was being driven down the motorway miles from anywhere. She said: I instantly knew something was very wrong. But I tried to stay calm and asked the guy whether we had gone past the airport. He immediately looked back at me with a horrible expression and just hissed shut up. God knows where he was taking me. I was terrified. Words cant describe how horrendous it feels knowing that your life is completely in someone elses hands. Then all of a sudden he swerved off the motorway on to a roundabout, sped round it three times and shot back on to the main road. I started screaming at him to let me out and he careered over three lanes of traffic and pulled over on the hard shoulder. I jumped out, grabbed my bags and he drove off leaving me in the desert in 40-degree heat. I hailed another cab, made the long drive back to the airport and Ive never been so happy to get on a plane in all my life. She added: Obviously an experience like that is terrifying, but it is that kind of thing that has made me the person I am today. Im a fighter and I will never give up if I want something. Now Melodys business is thriving and she is getting married to her boyfriend of five years next summer. She said: I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given things could have been so different. I loved my time on The Apprentice. Although it was painful I wouldnt change it for the world as it marks the next chapter of my new life. I have overcome a lot but I honestly believe if I can do it, anyone can.
Melody Hossaini 
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