Former The Apprentice adviser Nick Hewer has reportedly suggested that the fate of contestants on the show is influenced by the way they look.

In interview with The Sun newspaper, Hewer, who worked with Lord Sugar on the BBC show for 10 years before leaving in 2014, said: "There was a time when all the young ladies who came on wore black pencil skirts and very high heels, with their hair done up in a chignon.

"You've got to be able to differentiate the candidates.

"I suspect that the producers go for different looks or people that can be differentiated visually."