Lord Sugar hits out at Apprentice winner

Thursday 7 March 2013

LORD Sugar has criticised a former winner of The Apprentice during an industrial tribunal, describing her as an untrusting and suspicious person who was full of conspiracy theories.

TRIBUNAL CLAIMS: Lord Sugar told the hearing that Stella English was 'detached' and 'cold'.

Custom byline text:

The peer read out a statement at the hearing where 2010 winner Stella English is claiming she was constructively dismissed from his IT firm. In it, he said was surprised when the 34-year-old told him she was not enjoying the £100,000 role with his IT division Viglen that she had won.

He said: "I began to think that perhaps the reality of work rather than the glamour of showbusiness was beginning to bite with her."In hindsight, I can now see that she was a very untrusting and suspicious person. It was clear to me now that she thought that everyone was out to trick her."She thought during the whole process that she was being lied to and that the other candidate has been chosen as the winner."Lord Sugar, speaking at an employment tribunal in London, said: "She always came across as quite reserved and detached and, some might argue, cold."At other times she would come to me with some very odd conspiracy theories."Lord Sugar said Ms English attracted a lot of stories in the media as soon as the BBC1 series was aired in the autumn of 2010.Speaking of her suspicions that he had not really chosen her to be the winner, he said: "She assumed the whole thing was a charade and I had no interest in her."Lord Sugar said it was not true that she told him she thought her role at his company was that of an overpaid lackey, as she claims. "That bit is a complete reconstruction or better described as a figment of her imagination," he said.Lord Sugar also denied Ms English's claims that Viglen chief executive Bordan Tkachuk replied: "Nice girl. Don't do a lot" when he asked what he thought of her. He later gave her another role at internet set-top box company YouView after she resigned from Viglen in May 2011. Earlier Ms English told the tribunal she had felt pressurised by Lord Sugar to take the second job. She said he told him he needed a quick answer as the papers were going to print a story that she had quit.Ms English, of Whitstable, Kent, said that Lord Sugar told her he would not be renewing her contract during an unscheduled meeting on September 28, 2011.She was asked by Seamus Sweeney, representing Lord Sugar, why she did not complain about how she was treated.She said: "I didn't know at the time, within one month, how things were going to pan out."The tribunal continues today.

Contextual targeting label:

Careers and Jobs

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Lord Sugar hits out at Apprentice winner

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED