So farewell Apprentice - it's been 10 yrs of fun working on a worthwhile show but now it's time to file the notebook and throttle back. Bye
— Nick Hewer (@Nick_Hewer) December 18, 2014
After a decade as Alan Sugar’s right-hand man, Nick Hewer is set to leave The Apprentice. The PR expert, who went to school in Clongowes in Kildare, has been an adviser on the British version of the reality-TV competition since it began in 2005.
Mr Hewer, 70, said he didn’t have the stamina to keep up with the long filming schedule that sees Lord Sugar’s aides follow competing teams around as they complete a task. The BBC confirmed Mr Hewer’s departure ahead of the finale of the show’s 10th season, which will air on BBC on Sunday.
Mr Hewer is the second of Lord Sugar’s aides to depart the show. In 2009, Margaret Mountford, originally from Hollywood in Northern Ireland, left ‘The Apprentice’ boardroom to complete a PhD in papyrology in University College London. She was replaced by business woman and football chairperson Karren Brady.
“I leave with relief, tinged with regret. Anyone can do what Karren and I have been doing, but it takes stamina to follow the candidates week after week, and my stamina is not up to those long weeks,” Mr Hewer said.
“I shall continue to enjoy the show from my armchair, marvelling at the candidates' self-esteem, at the sky-high production values of the producers and at the extraordinary talent of my old friend Alan Sugar.'
Currently the presenter of Channel 4’s flagship daytime quiz show ‘Countdown’, Mr Hewer first worked with Alan Sugar in the early 80s, as part of the Amstrad brand. Lord Sugar took to Twitter to wish his former aide well:
It's with a heavy heart I have to say farewell to my good friend Nick Hewer from the apprentice. I thank him sincerely for the past 10 years
— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) December 18, 2014
