Claude Littner was snubbed from a rival BBC show- before joining The Apprentice.
The business mogul arrived on the show as Lord Alan Sugar's right-hand man, sifting through potential candidates' CVs during the interview stage before handing the young entrepreneurs a dose of reality.
Not long ago he took over as one of Lord Sugar's aides alongside Karen Brady but took time off last season after suffering a "horrible" crash that saw him undergo several surgeries. The Apprentice returned this week with stellar reviews but Claude, 73, revealed he was actually headhunted for another BBC programme before being snubbed closer to the time.