Lord Sugar has rejected claims that his blunt style on The Apprentice amounts to bullying, insisting contestants know what they are signing up for. In an interview with Radio Times, the tycoon said: 'They’ve not just arrived from the planet Mars. They know what they are letting themselves in for.' He added: 'I make it perfectly clear to them ... if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.'
The businessman, known for telling candidates 'You’re fired!', dismissed suggestions of bullying, pointing to his long-serving employees. 'People would have reported it if lots of people were taking me to tribunals. Speak to my employees. I’ve got people here who have worked for me for 35 to 40 years,' he said. 'It is not bullying to speak your mind. If someone is useless, I’ll tell them.'
Lord Sugar also criticised former contestants who seek fame after the show, including Katie Hopkins and Luisa Zissman. 'They’d go to the opening of an envelope if they got an invitation,' he said. 'They have their Andy Warhol moment, thinking it’s going to make them famous, but very few have actually succeeded. Before long they’re of no interest to anybody.'
The new series of The Apprentice begins later this month, with Lord Sugar joined by Karren Brady and Nick Hewer. Previous winners include Leah Totton, who runs a cosmetic clinic with Lord Sugar, and Tom Pellereau, who said the tycoon 'can still be pretty hard on me'. Pellereau recalled: 'The other day I presented what I thought was a brilliant idea ... he thought I was joking. He said: ’Are you mad? This is utter rubbish!’'
