The Apprentice's Alan Sugar Claims He 'Launched Piers Morgan's Television Career'

We're not sure if the 'Good Morning Britain' star would agree.

Lord Alan Sugar has made a bold claim about Piers Morgan, stating that he launched the ‘Good Morning Britain’ star’s television career. 

Speaking at the launch of the new series of ‘The Apprentice’, Alan explained how he knew Piers in his journalism days and received a phone call from him, asking if there was a spare spot on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’. 

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Lord Sugar
Empics Entertainment

He told HuffPost UK and other reporters: “It was me that launched his television career – seriously, absolutely serious.

“He was the editor of the Mirror, and he got fired from there for his famous front page thing and he wanted to do something in TV.

“He actually phoned me up when he heard ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ was on, and he said: ‘Please can I do it?’. And that’s the first time he appeared on television.”

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Trump named Piers winner of the series
D Dipasupil via Getty Images

Alan also revealed that Piers turned to him for advice when he then took part in the US celebrity version of ‘The Apprentice’ a year later, in 2008. 

He said: “Afterwards, I coached him how to win the American Apprentice – seriously, you should have been a fly on the wall when I did that.

“I was in Florida at the time and it was the live final that evening and I said to him ‘is it really live or is it a pre-recording?’ He said, ‘it’s live’.

Revealing the advice he gave Piers, Alan said he told him: “You’re gonna put [Donald] Trump into a corner where he cannot do anything other than choose you’. And that’s how it worked out.”

‘The Apprentice’ returns to our screens next month and this year’s candidates were revealed on Tuesday (26 September). 

Get to know them below... 

'The Apprentice' 2017 Contestants
(01 of18)
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Name: Jade English
Age: 25
Occupation: PR & Marketing Manager
Lives: Manchester
In her role as PR and marketing manager, Jade creates content to advertise and enhance her clients’presence on social media. She believes she has the ability to pick up on people’s behaviours, and therefore finds it easy to make friends and build rapport. She thinks her greatest business skills are her creativity and passion.She says: “I’m extremely emotionally intelligent and able to get the best out of people. I am a brilliant negotiator and I’m not all talk – I put every weird idea into action and gets results."
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(02 of18)
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Name: Harrison Jones
Age: 27
Occupation: Sales Executive
Lives: Watford
Harrison started his own landscaping business aged 19 and is currently working on a number of business ventures including property development, a healthy eating brand and a luxury streetwear brand. Fully aware that he must work hard to be successful, Harrison genuinely believes he has exactly what is needed to make this happen.He says: “I have a good work ethic and am always willing to work to full capacity to achieve my goals.”
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(03 of18)
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Name: Joanna Jarjue
Age: 23
Occupation: Digital Marketing Manager
Lives: Manchester
In her current role, Joanna creates multi-channel strategies to improve the digital footprint of companies. She considers being determined and a great talker to be her best qualities. She hates being patronised, but will remain resilient on the show. She says: “My demeanour can be related to the saying ‘Don’t wake a sleeping lion’ - If you underestimate me I might just bite.
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(04 of18)
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Name: Charles Burns
Age: 24
Occupation: Management Consultant
Lives: Manchester
Charles has his fingers in many business pies, including a management consultancy, a watch trading company and a comparison website. He believes his best qualities are his passion, drive and determination but admits he can talk too much and doesn’t always listen. He says as long as it’s within the rules, he will stop at nothing to win.He says: “When life throws you lemons, make and sell lemonade for a healthy profit
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(05 of18)
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Name: Anisa Topan
Age: 36
Occupation: Owner, PR Fashion Agency
Lives: Surrey
Anisa owns her own fashion PR consultancy and by her own admission, is all action – and says she gets irritated if people are slow to grasp concepts. She admits she can find it hard to listen and sometimes misses things when she is excited about an idea, but is good at ‘winning’ in business.She says: “I’ve got everything Lord Sugar needs in a business partner. I’m passionate, dynamic and persistent – he’ll love that."
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(06 of18)
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Name: Jeff Wan
Age: 28
Occupation: Business Analyst
Lives: London
Jeff is a business analyst and semi-pro hip-hop dancer. Over the past 10 years he has trained several times a week, even performing at the O2 Arena. He hopes to succeed in business and build a legacy as admirable as Lord Sugar’s empire. He has been a fan of The Apprentice since he was a teenager.He says: “I bring character, charm and swagger to the table. Coupled with my professional and educational experience, I am sure I will be able to separate myself from the res
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(07 of18)
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Name: Sarah Jayne Clark
Age: 25
Occupation: Owner Clothing Company
Lives: Derbyshire
Sarah owns a ladies’ fashion shop and believes her loyalty is one of her best qualities. She thinks it’s vital to be determined and strong-willed in business. She loves being her own boss and cites that being herself and never letting her guard down will help her win.She says: “I am the definition of a girl boss – I get things done and make things happen."
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(08 of18)
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Name: Andrew Brady
Age: 26
Occupation: Project Engineer
Lives: Cheshire
Andrew, a project engineer in the aerospace industry, says his best business quality is his relentless work ethic. He cites his coal miner grandad as an inspiration as ‘he was the hardest worker you could ever know’, but admits he can’t always hold his tongue, especially if people are not pulling their weight, which can get him into trouble. Andrew believes that his confidence will see him go far in the process.He says: “I don’t blow smoke up someone’s behind. If someone deserves credit, I will give them
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(09 of18)
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Name: Bushra Shaikh
Age: 34
Occupation: Owner, Clothing Company
Lives: Surrey
Bushra is owner and designer of her own modest fashion label, creating luxury apparel for Muslim women. Inspired by Coco Chanel, she believes her skills and determination are all she needs to succeed in The Apprentice, but she’s known to be pushy to get what she wants.She says: “I’ve been raised not to be a pushover-in the words of Destiny’s Child, ‘I’m an independent woman.”
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(10 of18)
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Name: Danny Grant
Age: 32
Occupation: Owner, Online Retail Store
Lives: Kent
Daniel believes his best quality is his loyalty, but warns he’s not ‘a doormat’ and his trust shouldn’t be taken for granted. He runs an e-retail cosmetic business but admits to being disorganised and regularly leaving things to the last minute. He prides himself on being straightforward and honest,but can sometimes rub people up the wrong way ‘because the truth is hard to hear’.He says: “I don’t get on with people with a stick up their arse”
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(11 of18)
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Name: Michaela Wain
Age: 33
Occupation: Business Owner, Construction
Lives: Bolton
Michaela mostly works on the day-to-day operations of a construction magazine, alongside her role at several other companies in the building sector. She believes she is very easy-going and tries to seethe positive in all situations, but admits she can sometimes have a short fuse. Working as a woman in a very male-dominated industry, she says she despises men who talk down to her.She says: “I have no patience for people who say stupid stuff, and I can’t cope with lazy people."
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(12 of18)
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Name: Ross Fretten
Age: 29
Occupation: Digital Product Consultant
Lives: Essex
In his current job, Ross helps businesses launch and improve their digital products and services. He doesn’t have a role model, preferring to trust his own judgement and forge his own path rather than following in the footsteps of others. He plans to sit back and let people ‘dig their own graves’ before burying them in the boardroom.He says: “I’m usually the smartest person in any room and I’ll make sure people know that."
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(13 of18)
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Name: Elizabeth McKenna
Age: 39
Occupation: Owner Florist Chain
Lives: Nottinghamshire
Elizabeth describes herself as a ‘slightly bonkers country girl’ and has a love of dogs and horses. She is a hands on practical person and will have a go at doing any job. She thinks her killer business instincts mean she’s good at making snap decisions, she says what she thinks and shoots from the hip.She says: “My big feet are good for two things; getting me into trouble as they’re as big as my mouth and I constantly get them stuck in it, but... they also kick butt.”
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(14 of18)
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Name: James White
Age: 26
Occupation: Owner, Recruitment Firm
Lives: Birmingham
James runs his own IT recruitment business and considers his drive and ambition to be his best qualities – he believes no one has ambition like him. He says he also has good energy, and his charming nature works well in business. He used to have the nickname ‘Del Boy’, and enjoys white collar boxing as a hobby.He says: “Intimidation is what motivates me. I want to be bigger and more successful than anyone else."
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(15 of18)
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Name: Siobhan Smith
Age: 34
Occupation: Owner, Wedding Company
Lives: London
Siobhan owns and runs a wedding service company for couples in the UK who want to get married in Dubai. She considers herself to be very direct, but concedes people sometimes take her honesty the wrong way. Her role model is Colonel Sanders, founder of KFC – as ‘at the age of 65, he had knocked on over 1,000 doors over a period of two years trying to sell his recipe before getting his first yes, he never gave up on his dream.’
She says: “I fly aeroplanes, scuba dive, jump off cliffs, paraglide; I’m a blogger and a mother - as well as running my wedding planning business. A lot of people call me superwoman."
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(16 of18)
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Name: Sajan Shah
Age: 24
Occupation: Owner Event Company
Lives: London
Alongside running his business supplying entertainment to events, Sajan works at a health and safety consultancy as the Head of HR. He claims that the majority of candidates will be using him as their role model after the series, and believes his greatest quality is his ability to read people, but does admit that sometimes he doesn’t listen enough.He says: “I am like a Chinese dish – potent, deliciously driven, full of flavour and I sure do sizzle."
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(17 of18)
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Name: Elliot Van Emden
Age: 31
Occupation: Owner Legal Firm
Lives: London
To his mates, Elliot is nicknamed ‘Tory boy’ as he used to work in the office of David Cameron before he became Prime Minister. He believes ‘what you see is what you get’ with him, and he aims to band together with who he thinks are the stronger candidates early on to secure his place in the final.He says: “Sometimes to get to the top, you have to grease the pole behind you
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(18 of18)
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Name: Sarah Lynn
Age: 35
Occupation: Owner Confectionery Company
Lives: London
Sarah created and leads a sweet gifting business that focuses on confectionery products for retailers and corporate clients. She considers herself to be a ‘people person’, and believes her ability to sell is one of her greatest assets. She doesn’t think she needs tactics to win, intending to simply be herself throughout the process. She says: “Women are like tea bags – you don’t know how strong they are until you put them in hotwater.”

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