SUNSHINE Coast charity Riding for the Disabled is about to get nationwide exposure thanks to swimming legend Dawn Fraser.

The Olympic icon has chosen to raise funds for the North Arm-based charity in the new series of Celebrity Apprentice, which debuts on Tuesday.

"I've done a lot of work for other charities, and many years ago I decided I'd give a charity three years of my time," she told the Daily.

"At my age of 75 I've got to stop some time. I thought this (the show) would be a good thing to raise some money."

Ms Fraser said she got involved with the charity only three weeks before travelling to Sydney to film the show.

"I've been living up in Noosa with my daughter for a couple of years and I read the newspaper a lot and I noticed they had been pushed off their last property," she said.

"They're all volunteers trying to help children and adults with disabilities. And I love horses. I've done some riding myself in my younger years and when I read their story, my daughter said, 'you've done a lot of work with charities, what about Riding for the Disabled?' We found out where they were, rang up to make an appointment to go out and see them and I was most impressed with them."

Speaking to the Daily shortly after her first experience in the show's infamous boardroom - the high-pressure environment where the winning team was unveiled and one of the members of the losing team eliminated - Fraser said it was an emotional day.

"I learned a lot from it and I found it a very interesting situation to be in," she said.

"When you get criticism, you've got to learn from it. That's very important. It's hard to put it on some of the young ladies' heads, but they'll learn."

She said the most difficult part of the show was asking contacts for money, even if it was for a good cause.

"I'm not a person who has ever asked for money," she said. "I've always worked for my own money, but I know how it works now.

"When you use the word charity it rings a different tone in their ear, but if someone wants to say 'no' then you've just got to learn to take no for an answer."

Tuesday's premiere episode has Ms Fraser assigned as the leader of the women's team, who must compete against the men, led by former world champion boxer Jeff Fenech, in a fish and chips challenge.

The new series of Celebrity Apprentice airs on Tuesday at 8.40pm on Channel 9/WIN.

For more information on Riding for the Disabled Sunshine Coast, go to http://www.sunshinecoastrda.com.