Many fans of the show have cried out after Pellereau stole the show from Helen Louise Milligan.
Milligan won all but one task while Pellereau managed to survive through eight losses.
Consensus from fans of the show expected Louise Milligan to walk it in the final with an unrivalled winning record however when it came to their business plans, Pellereau’s beguiled Lord Sugar.
But Locke, now business development director at Omni Capital, said: “I see why people would say that, as if a candidate performs throughout, you’d expect them to be in a very strong position in the end but I think at the end of the day it all came down to the business plan so you could argue what was the point of all the tasks?
“I think the tasks are relevant because it exposes people’s characteristics, the way their mind works and how they interact as a team as well as on an individual basis.
“There is still a value in having the tasks but essentially once you get to the final its won or lost on your business plan and therefore it is a valid question.
“For Lord Sugar he doesn’t know any of these candidates and he needs the process to get to know them and to get to know how they operate.”
Locke also said she found this series “really interesting” as the format changed slightly. Contestants fought for £250,000 financial backing from Lord Sugar as well as a business partnership.
She said: “It took me a while to get into the series because it brought together quite a different group of people.
“Obviously the prize was significantly different and a huge incentive for the candidates so you really saw them fighting to the death and making sure they were in it to win the quarter of a million pounds.
“Helen obviously got to the final four and she was a real star performer throughout. If the prize was to work for Lord Sugar she would have won because hands down she absolutely outshone from the beginning and as the process went on she grew with strength.
“However the prize was to go into business and Lord Sugar is definitely a products man.
“Susan also did very well and along with Tom, they were very much the entrepreneurs of the group so it was a tough call between the two however it really came down to when the feedback came from Lord Sugar’s colleagues, one of them basically said “With Tom, he’ll invent something new every week.”
“He wants someone to come up with new products and he’ll put him into action. So I think it was clear from that point that Tom was going to win. Everybody warmed to him.”
Locke also said she was impressed by Pellereau’s decision to be open about how his dyslexia had affected him.
“Tom has dyslexia and I think he did a great thing in promoting how his brain does work slightly differently and how he has designed and brought a product to market so I thought it was a really great win for him,” she said.
“I really enjoyed the change in the format, the prize change was a huge incentive and I’m absolutely delighted that Tom won. He’s a good inspiration for those people out there who do have dyslexia.
“My mum has dyslexia and she also has a very entrepreneurial mind so I think he sent a great message out there. He fascinates me and I think it was a well deserved victory.”
Locke also said the other finalists were strong contestants.
“For the other finalists, Susan obviously showed she’d achieved so much at such a young age and she’ll go on to do great things,” said Locke.
“Helen obviously will get snapped up and Jim, definitely a very good salesman, I’m sure he won’t struggle at all going forward. It’s been a really great series and a pleasure to watch.”
Asked whether she missed being a contestant, Locke said: “I loved it, but it was quite nice to sit back with a glass of wine this time and watch it from the comfort of my lounge.”
