The Apprentice star Karren Brady's devastating health battle 'I was terrified I'd die'

Karren Brady has sat alongside Lord Sugar in the boardroom for almost two decades, reprising her familiar role for Celebrity Apprentice this week in aid of Children In Need. However, behind the scenes, Karren has confronted a private health battle that almost claimed her life.

The self-made millionaire revealed her shocking diagnosis in 2006, disclosing that she required emergency brain surgery after a routine medical appointment. She told The Guardian: "The more you read on the internet, the worse it gets - you panic. I was terrified that I would die or have a stroke at any minute."

Karren, now 56, was reportedly given just a 30 per cent chance of survival by doctors after they detected the brain aneurysm. "The only time I cried was looking at the brain aneurysm foundation website: it was so frightening," she said.

Despite her apprehension, Baroness Brady underwent a five-and-a-half-hour procedure and, following intensive care, made a complete recovery. "In the seven days between deciding on the treatment and having surgery, I was in such a state of shock. I felt a sort of sadness that it had happened to me - you do think, why me?" she continued.

"I realised how fragile life was. What really scared me, though, was the thought of my children being without me," reports the  Mirror.

Karren shares two children with her husband Paul Peschisolido - Sophia and Paolo. "It was just fate that I decided to go for a health screening, and I am incredibly grateful I did," Karren revealed.

Now, she must undergo regular brain scans to ensure the aneurysm doesn't reoccur.

The health scare has altered her outlook on life, bringing her closer to her children. She confessed: "Initially, I did think I should spend more time with my children - you just want to gather them up - but for two months after the operation I was working from home and realised I didn't see more of them anyway.

"Still, there will never be a time again when I choose a board meeting over a sports day. I have been back in the office for three weeks now and feel really well - my mortality is back in my own hands."

Karren will be appearing on our TV screens this week in a celebrity version of The Apprentice marking the show's 20th anniversary. The two-part instalment will air as a Christmas special in aid of Children In Need. It's been six years since the last celebrity spin-off of the popular show. This year will see the 12 candidates head to snowy Lapland in Finland to create a seasonal biscuit.

Karren has already revealed that Strictly Come Dancing alumni Rob Rinder and AJ Odudu clashed while filming the challenge.

The upcoming special sees the stars split into two teams as they develop their own brand of gingerbread men for Children in Need. AJ and Rob found themselves on a team together with comedian Eddie, Paralympic athlete Kadeena and EastEnders star Jake. However, Karren revealed that there was "tension" between the pair.

"It didn't start very well," she said. "Rob Rinder was made project manager, and rather than use the time that they had in the meeting to decide their strategy, decide what they were going to do, what theme they were going to have, they all decided to say what was important about Christmas to them, which of course is lovely, but it didn't really help them when it came to organising themselves!

"That’s where the tension started between him and AJ Odudu. I think they all cared a lot about doing the job well, not just for themselves, but because what they understood it meant to Children in Need.

"And Rob, of course, is what you'd expect: smart, passionate, organised, absolutely determined to get the best out of everyone. And him and AJ sort of clashed because they had different views."

The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas special is on BBC One on December 29 and 30 at 9pm

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