In a ‘tight’ final of The Apprentice last night Bianca Miller narrowly missed out on a £250,000 investment from Sir Alan Sugar.

This money went to Mark Wright, 25, for his digital marketing agency.

But hosiery entrepreneur Miss Miller has vowed to push ahead with her business idea and said she has her boyfriend to thank for making her go on the BBC programme.

Miss Miller, from Thornton Heath, had hoped Lord Sugar would have backed her idea of launching a range of tights to match to various different skin tones.

She first dreamed up the idea when she was 18 and said she became even more determined to start a company when she worked in the City and could not find any tights suitable for her skin tone.

The 25-year-old said: “Eight years ago was when I found out there was not enough variety out there.

“Working in the City it became a real issue and I often ended up wearing black tights.

“My female friends are of varying skin colours and say they cannot wait to be wearing Bianca Miller tights.”

Her website biancamillerlondon.com crashed last night because of the interest in the product thanks to her exposure on the show.

But she said it is only thanks to her fiancé Byron Cole that she went on the programme.

She said: “I had not even considered applying and my partner encouraged me to apply.

“I ignored him for the first five emails he sent with the link to the application form and I applied to keep him quiet.”

She had auditions in January and February and in the spring she was told she was going to be a candidate.

The entrepreneur said she will be launching her tights as soon as she finds a backer for her business.

Until she will keep on with company The Be Group, which is based in Sydenham Road, Croydon.

She goes into schools to help pupils with their personal development and into businesses to improve the skills of employees.

One of the schools she is hoping to visit next year is her old secondary school Sydenham High.

The school’s headteacher Kathryn Pullen said: “We’re so proud of Bianca and everything she has achieved. “Her name is on our honours board and, despite losing out this weekend, she is a winner in the eyes of everyone here at Sydenham High.

“She is a fantastic role model as she embodies what we try to teach the girls beyond their academic studies: about teamwork, aspiring with realism, reliability and resilience.”

Go to biancamillerlondon.com for more details about the hosiery company.