As one door closes, more open up for ultra-positive Sarah

She may have been ‘fired’ by Lord Sugar at the first hurdle in the latest ongoing series of the BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’, but Oldham’s Sarah Byrne has swiftly shaken off that disappointment as more new doors appear to be opening up.

It’s Sarah’s endearing working-class northern outlook which appears to have earned her lots of new fans this past week, and though her stint on the flagship BBC show was short-lived, she’s turning the whole experience into a massive positive.

Sarah’s acting academy – based at Oasis Academy Oldham - continues to thrive, with a new branch set to open in Salford very soon.

She is also set to branch out into the exciting world of artist management, while the former Shameless, Hollyoaks and Sorted actress has also not ruled out a return to the small screen.

“I’m totally over it now,” Sarah told the Chronicle, when asked about her appearance on ‘The Apprentice’.

“To be honest, I’m going with the mindset that you have to fail to succeed.

“Just because I went out early it doesn’t mean that’s the end for me.

“If anything, this is just the beginning. I’m really positive and I’m looking forward – I’m good.”

The Sarah Byrne Acting Academy – find more details on the dedicated Facebook page – caters for up to 70 children between the ages of five and 17 each week, but more doors are opening all the time for the bubbly 29-year-old.

Sarah added: “The acting academy is doing really well, but as well as doing that I’m about to open a management agency alongside it.

“At the moment I am connected to casting directors and agents and I’m passing some children to them, but because they are my children I want to start representing them.

“I believe I can gain opportunities for them, so that’s my next step.

“I’m also launching another academy at Media City next month, so it’s all just growing and growing around me.

“The opportunities keep coming, so I have to be really happy with that.

“I’m determined to try and create these opportunities for the kids of Oldham, just because my roots will always be here and I want to give something back.

“Now I’m living back in Oldham I just can’t imagine ever being away again.”

Sarah’s family life back in Lees is much more settled thesedays, and that’s vital for the mum of four-year-old Sadie.

“It’s about finding the right balance,” she added.

“At the moment I’m really enjoying doing the academy and where it’s going.

“Up until Christmas I’ll be working on that solidly, along with the management agency, so it’s busy times.”

Asked whether Sadie – whose father is former Shameless co-star and EastEnders actor Jody Latham - might tread the boards in the future, Sarah said: “Sadie comes to my classes and she’s really good at learning lines.

“She’s showing promising signs so I think it’s be unusual if she didn’t try her hand at acting.”

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