‘The Apprentice’: Lord Sugar’s Former Aide Nick Hewer Says His Ten Years On The Show Was ‘The Biggest Nightmare I’ve Ever Had To Endure’

Lord Sugar’s former aide on ‘The Apprentice’, Nick Hewer, might have been on the show for ten years, but that doesn’t mean he enjoyed it.

In fact, the businessman-turned-‘Countdown’ host, says it was a “nightmare” that he had to “endure”.

The 72-year-old also described the wannabe business candidates as “hooligans”, in a no holds barred rant about the BBC One show.

In a recording of a chat at Oxford University obtained by The Sun, Nick told students: “People say ‘Oh, it must be such fun to work on the Apprentice!’

“Everybody says that: ‘What fun that must be’.

“Well I’ve got to tell you, for the elderly, it’s one of the biggest nightmares I’ve ever had to endure.

“Can you imagine, even at your young age, having to spend two or three days chasing around after maybe six or eight hooligans?

“It was ghastly! And eventually, after ten years, I said ‘That’s enough’, so I left.”

The comments come just a day after Nick, who left the show in 2014, revealed that producers often tell Lord Sugar to keep certain candidates in the process for longer based on their looks.

During the same chat at the university, he said: ”I say to him, ‘Oh, by the way Alan, the blonde: he or she is as thick as a fridge door, and I urge you with every fibre of your being, get rid of them, because they’re going to let you down’.

“And the producers will say, ‘Do you think you could find it in your heart to not get rid of the blonde just yet?’”

However, Nick insisted Lord Sugar’s decision is never swayed, adding: “He will say ‘the blonde will go when the blonde deserves to go’.”

An ‘Apprentice’ spokesperson denied Nick’s claims when approached by HuffPost UK, stating: “All firing decisions throughout ‘The Apprentice’ are down to Lord Sugar’s own judgement, and solely based on his opinion about who he believes should be fired after every task.

“’The Apprentice’ is a serious business reality series; the winner will be in partnership with Lord Sugar and therefore needs to have the relevant credentials,” they continued.

“References are checked for business and education credentials and a business consultant is involved at audition stages. In addition to this, Lord Sugar sees the CVs during final selection process.  

“To say that candidates are chosen purely for their looks or single lines on their CV is not true.”