The Apprentice is set to return to the BBC with another crop of 16 hopefuls hoping to become Lord Sugar’s business partner.
The series has seen several success stories with many individuals going on to create thriving businesses, regardless of whether they won or not.
One former contestant, however, has found herself in financial difficulty. Katie Hopkins, who was given her platform on the BBC series 11 years ago, lost a libel case to the food writer Jack Monroe last year.
Lord Sugar doesn’t have much sympathy for her. Speaking at the launch of the 14th series at London’s Soho Hotel, he said: “She caused her problems herself, I believe. She went a step too far.
“She’s made her bed, she’s going to have to lie in it. It’s one of life’s lessons that she’s learned. Maybe it might be a wake-up call for her. She’s got to solve this and then move on. There’s no advice I can give her because she made her own problems, I think. I hope she’s learned from it.”
To avoid bankruptcy, Hopkins has applied for an insolvency agreement after failing to donate £5,000 to a migrants charity, as initially requested by Monroe. Her media career is also in tatters after she was dropped by LBC Radio after calling for a “final solution” following the Manchester Arena terrorist attack.
Speaking on This Morning, Lord Sugar also revealed briefly feeling sorry for Hopkins at the post-series wrap party in 2007.
“She had made no friends among the other candidates. She was standing on her own, isolated. I looked and thought, ‘Oh dear’ so I went and a had a chat with her. No one wanted to talk to her and I think we can now perhaps understand why.”
The first episode sees the candidates travel abroad to Malta for the fan favourite shopping task that usually comes later in the series.
Lord Sugar will be joined once again by aides Karren Brady and Claude Littner.
The Apprentice will air every Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One from 3 October
