Jana’s Parents react to The Apprentice Exit amid ‘Racism’ Storm

The parents of Dr Jana Denzel – who dramatically quit The Apprentice after allegedly making an offensive remark – have broken their silence on the controversy.

Cosmetic dentist Jana apparently used the term ‘coloured’ to describe a black person during a task.

It was later revealed that he decided to quit the show, shocking Lord Alan Sugar. His exit is set to air in a future episode.

He had been a contender to go far in the show before dramatically telling Lord Sugar, “I’m leaving”, after he was given a dressing down for using the offensive term.

Jana’s parents Veluppilai and Rajes Denzel have insisted that their son is not racist and that his comments had been misunderstood.

His mother Rajes said: “Jana is not racist. We are not against anybody. We brought Jana – and all our children – to be open-minded.

“Jana was born here in England and is proud to be British. We are open to everyone from every culture.”

His father Veluppilai revealed his son called him a few weeks ago to say that he had quit The Apprentice.

He said: “He called to say that there had been an issue, but I didn’t really understand.

“He has been misunderstood, I am sure. He is a good boy. I told him, ‘You worked hard to become a dentist, be a dentist’.

“We are from a different culture and maybe he was misunderstood.

“But I know he did not mean to cause any offence. That is not who he is.”

Rajes revealed how the couple struggled to give their four children the best upbringing they could, after the family fled wor-torn Sri Lanka.

She said: “I came to the UK in 1983. It was very difficult in Sri Lanka.

“I worked in a supermarket in the morning and my husband worked as a postman on the late shift.

“We barely saw each other but we made sure there was always someone at home for the kids. We are very proud of them.”

Veluppilai added: “We are very proud of our children. We did all we could for them and they worked hard and made us proud.

“We are very proud of Jana. Whether he is on the TV or not is not important to us.”

It was previously reported that Jana’s comment was reported to show bosses who made him undergo diversity training. But the BBC insisted his exit was unrelated to this incident.

Jana had been part of a team creating a character for a marketing campaign when he allegedly used the phrase “coloured” to describe a black person.

A source said: “The team had been discussing what the character should look like, and there were suggestions from some members to make sure the character was inclusive.

“It was then that Jana made the ‘coloured comment’, which particularly upset two female candidates on his team.

“While his co-stars did push back and make it clear to Jana the comment was unacceptable, it was then escalated further when it was flagged to the production team, who pulled Jana aside.”

It is believed viewers will not see Jana’s comment onscreen but his exit will air during episode five of The Apprentice.