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'I feared my crazed lover was going to kill me in a car crash ..I
Sunday Mirror, May 11, 2008 by LOUISE FORD
ICE-maiden Jenny Maguire could shoot a man down with a glance - but today the Apprentice loser reveals how SHE was the victim of abuse at the hands of her fiance.
Jenny - given the boot in a double eviction on the show last week - says she feared she would die at one point during a long-term relationship with the brutal ex-lover.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mirror, Jenny, who shocked millions with her manipulative tactics, said: "I know I come across as cold and tough on TV, but I've been the victim before. I was physically abused and I was terrified."
Jenny, 27, explained how the cruel ex-threatened to kill her by crashing a VW Golf into a wall.
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He had flown into a rage after accusing her of flirting with a waiter.
The pair had spent a cosy evening together tucking into pasta and wine in an exclusive restaurant.
But as Jenny talked politely to restaurant staff, he became suspicious of her motives. When he drove them home later his jealous streak turned to violent fury.
She said: "He shouted at me, 'If you can't be honest, I'll kill us both.' He started revving the engine at a red light, drove through the traffic lights and sped towards a wall.
"His face was twisted in anger. I was so scared I couldn't even speak.
At the last second he swerved away.
We never talked about that night.
Stupidly I took him back and even agreed to marry him. He always said he was sorry, so I forgave him."
More than eight million viewers saw Jenny sacked from the hit BBC1 show along with redhead Jennifer Celerier, 36.
Tycoon Alan Sugar - who is offering the winning Apprentice a pounds 100,000-a-year job - sacked the brunette for failing to take control of her team during a shambolic "treasure hunt" in Marrakech.
He also fired cheating Celerier after finding out she tried to bribe a shopkeeper to help them, not their rivals. Jenny said: "I was so disappointed to be fired - but I think that he was just evening out the numbers."
DESPITE her icy TV image, marketing consultant Jenny, who survived the boardroom once before, insists that in real life she is the victim, not a bully.
She claims to have suffered years of physical abuse from the man she was smitten with after they fell for each other when she was working for a sales company in Ireland.
She said: "Being in an abusive relationship has taught me to be a lot more resilient and wary of trusting people - and that's how I come across.
"Looking back at him it was infatuation rather than love. He was a real charmer. I fell in love with him the first time I met him. He was 6ft, a hunk and several years older than me."
She was wooed with flowers, meals out and love notes as they grew to know each when Jenny was selling pounds 50-a-time discount vouchers on the street.
Dublin-born Jenny said: "On our first date in a restaurant, he told me he loved me. I was taken aback but he was passionate.
"I was head-over-heels, and we kissed, but I didn't sleep with him for two months. He was my first real boyfriend."
But within weeks, Jenny discovered a terrifying controlling streak in her man, who flew into violent rages when she spoke to other men.
She revealed: "One night we went to a party and I spent a lot of time talking to one of my male friends. He was furious. When we got back home I tried to give him a hug and he gave me a slap.
"Even though I was half-naked he threw me out of his flat. His flat mate had to let me back in. I couldn't go to work the next day. My eyes had ballooned from crying and I had a mark on my face.
"That night he came back home with a bunch of flowers and said he would get help. Stupidly I took him back every time."
SIX months later, when former champion show jumper Jenny was offered a manager's job back in the UK, the pair moved and rented their own flat.
But the violence continued.
She said: "One night we were drunk and he pulled my hair. It escalated into a full-on scrap. There was no competition with a big 6ft man.
"We were both slapping each other.
I had bruises on my body but I hid them. I realise now he just wanted to break me down."
But Jenny had become hooked on their adventurous sex life and joint love of gambling in casinos.
She said: "Sex was passionate with him. We led the high life together. I got a taste for going to casinos. One night on holiday in the Caribbean we spent more than pounds 1,000 - every last penny we had."
Jenny said: "One evening he handed me a box with a diamond ring - but he didn't get down on one knee. I said yes but I didn't really think too hard about it."
Jenny finally walked out on her brutal partner six months later when he smacked her around the head at the dinner table in front of someone else.
After a massive row, Jenny packed two bags and flew home to Dublin. She said: "It was a turning point. I was humiliated to be hit in front of another person and I'd learned how to fight back. We pulled a few punches on each other. I called my mum for the airfare home. It was the best decision I've ever made. I flew back to Dublin and tried to stay clear of men."
