Since appearing on The Apprentice in 2007, Katie Hopkins has become the show’s most infamous former contestant, courting controversy with her media columns and incendiary comments on social media.
However, Hopkins is now in financial difficulty after losing a libel case to activist Jack Monroe last year.
Lord Alan Sugar – The Apprentice business mogul and the man who gave Hopkins her first TV platform 11 years ago – has little sympathy for the former contestant however.
“She caused her problems herself, I believe. She went a step too far,” Sugar said at the launch of the 14th series of The Apprentice.
He added: “She’s made her bed, she’s going to have to lie in it. It’s one of life’s lessons that she’s learnt. 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 learnt from it.”
At the same event, Sugar also gave his thoughts about the influence of the BBC business show, saying the broadcaster "doesn’t understand" its power.
“With the greatest respect to the BBC, they really do not understand how great this programme is as far as creating enthusiasm amongst young people and encouraging people to get into business,” he said.
Lord Sugar might have evidence of this on the show this year: on average, the candidates were 15 years old the time the first series aired in 2005, meaning many of them could have been influenced by The Apprentice when first embarking on their careers.
However, will growing up with the show help this year's candidates as they venture to Malta to take on the shopping task in week one? Or is there a slight possibility they'll experience an excruciatingly embarrassing yet endlessly entertaining fail in front of the cameras? We know which we'd prefer to see.
The Apprentice will air weekly on Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC1 from 3rd October
