A Whitland woman is one of five winners chosen to star in new reality TV series 'The Biz'.

The winners were announced by the Welsh Development Agency and BBC Wales on Monday and were chosen from more than a hundred hopefuls who flocked to auditions held across Wales this summer.

The five will get support and guidance for one year in their new business venture and the reality of their highs and lows, featured in a major BBC Wales series from January 2003.

Among them is Stephanie Davies from Whitland, who wants to set up a day nursery in Haverfordwest town centre. The nursery, to be called 'Little Darlings', was an idea she came up with in May of this year. Thanks to the Biz, her dream is now becoming a reality.

Born in Essex 41 years ago, Stephanie moved to Pembrokeshire at seven-years-old, due to her grandmother and father's evacuation during the war. Liking the area so much they decided to stay. She now lives in Whitland, where she and her husband have lived for the last five years.

Stephanie is married to Clive Davies, 38, and has six children: Alexandra, 18, Georgina, 17, Christopher, 15, Stephen, 9, Nicolle, 3 and Harrison, 18 months.

She was educated at Greenhill School, Tenby, where she gained a number of O Levels and CSEs. From there she moved to Ammanford College, where she gained the official nursery nursing qualification, the NNEB.

Having undertaken various jobs such as nursery nursing, shop assisting, supervising in a day nursery and her last job which she finished four years ago, as a NVQ assessor in childcare, setting up her own nursery seemed the natural thing to do. Her husband was also having a hard time in his job as a farmer, and was looking to diversify away from a job that just wasn't paying enough.

Stephanie is looking forward to her appearances on the Biz BBC show. Her greatest wish is to encourage others to follow their business dreams as she has done, and to show people that if she can do it, anyone can.

Her success with the Biz came about just by chance upon coming across a Biz advertisement in her local paper. Initially attending the Biz audition day in Haverfordwest for business advice, Stephanie went forward for an audition, thinking that she had nothing to loose.

She now aims to have her nursery successfully up and running in a year's time, with two opened within two years. She feels she is lucky to have such a supportive husband and children, without whom she would never have got this far.

Stephanie and the other lucky winners were chosen after an intensive selection weekend held at the Vale Hotel in South Glamorgan, where the 15 business finalists were whittled down to the final five.

Filmed throughout the weekend, the finalists were put through their paces on the Saturday during a taxing outdoor challenge that involved the solving of cryptic clues, orienteering and physical tasks, all held in the historic and dramatic setting of Hensol Castle and the surrounding Vale of Glamorgan countryside.

The Saturday afternoon involved intensive one to one sessions with one of the five Biz judges, before presenting for 30 minutes to all five judges on the Sunday, including a series of tough questions about their business plans.

As tensions mounted 'Big Brother' style video diaries were also filmed as contestants talked about their feelings and anxieties over the weekend.

Daniel Jones, WDA spokesperson for the Entrepreneurship Action Plan for Wales, said: "It was outstanding to see 21 people of such a high calibre being thrown together as the stakes were raised and the finalists battled it out to become one of the chosen winners.

"All who got through to this final stage showed fantastic enthusiasm and we are eagerly awaiting their new business start-ups. All will receive the full support from the WDA in ensuring that their new business ventures get off to the best start possible."

BBC Wales presenter of The Biz, Jane Harvey, added: "The hard work has only just begun for what will be a major life changing experience for all of our five winners, as they start up their businesses and their lives are opened out on to the public arena. They will become celebrities who are recognised on the street by strangers that know all about their lives."

The highs and lows of the selection weekend will first be aired on 2W this October and repeated on BBC Wales in January next year.