Alan Sugar's lieutenant 'fired' from The Apprentice as £500m property empire collapses



A tough-talking interrogator on The Apprentice has been replaced as his property empire collapsed into administration.

Paul Kemsley, who terrified contestants with his fearsome grillings on the previous four seasons of the reality TV show, was approached for the filming of last night's semi-finals episode 'but he wasn't available due to other commitments', the BBC said.

His replacement on Sir Alan Sugar's show by new interrogator Alan Watts comes days after the £500million company Mr Kemsley founded in 1995 finally ran into the ground.

All mouth: Paul Kemsley gives a grilling on The Apprentice last year as an interrogator for Sir Alan Sugar, right,



The 42-year-old - whose millionaire lifestyle saw him mix with celebrities including Pamela Anderson - left The Apprentice during filming of the current series last year as he struggled to keep the company afloat.

His departure may come as a relief to contestants who will no longer have to put up with his put-downs - though many will be disappointed there was no on-air encounter with Sir Alan telling the failed businessman, 'You're fired!'

Mr Kemsley, who was estimated to be worth £180million in last year's Sunday Times Rich List, has often boasted of his City triumphs, once telling Property Week: 'If I want something, I will buy it.'

But he ran into severe trouble after placing massive bets that troubled Lehman Brothers would recover - a week before the U.S. bank collapsed.

High life: Mr Kemsley with Pamela Anderson at the launch of Planet Hollywood's Las Vegas casino in 2007

The bets left him embroiled in litigation with spread-betting company Spreadex, and he also became subject to legal action after advising Frank Lampard, the England and Chelsea player, on a foreign exchange bet that misfired.

Mr Kemsley, a vice-chairman of Spurs football club until 2007, is good friends with TopShop tycoon Sir Philip Green, Bahamas-based UK billionaire Joe Lewis and Newcastle United's owner Mike Ashley. Mr Lewis, the effective owner of Spurs, was one of Rock's original investors, along with the club's chairman Daniel Levy.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was appointed administrator to the main holding companies of Rock Investments last Thursday.

Mr Kemsley, who has not commented, is believed to have ended his interest in Rock the same day.

Before the fall: Mr Kemsley pictured with Miss Great Britain Gemma Garrett at a charity event in London last year

The administrator said there was no question of a 'fire sale' of the company's assets, which include Crystal Palace's Selhurst football ground, the former headquarters of Burberry in London's Haymarket and the Regency Arcade in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, as well as two Manhattan office blocks and a Turkish villa complex.

PwC joint administrator Peter Spratt said: 'Following the well documented slowdown in the property market, the Rock board has re-evaluated its longer-term strategy and, after discussions with its lenders, has taken the difficult decision to place the company in administration.'