THE Apprentice’s Tom Pellereau has revealed the secret to his 13-year partnership with Lord Sugar – after the BBC star ditched at least eight other winners.

Tom, 45, was the first candidate to secure a £250,000 investment prize from Lord Sugar – rather than a job at one of his companies – when he won in 2011.

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It was money well spent, as Tom has gone on to build a multi-million pound business and a hugely successful Stylideas brand.

Last month, Tom launched seven new products and Lord Sugar was there to support him in person.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun Online afterwards, Tom revealed all about his partnership with the 77-year-old business icon, and how it had managed to be one of the few to achieve longevity from the show.

He said: “So we have a board meeting at least every two months for a couple of hours.

“He loves products. I always have to take the latest items along.

“He loves touching them, feeling them, giving them a bit of feedback, and he especially likes the packaging stage and the beginning of the marketing stage.

“When he saw the latest packaging of the different ones, he was like, ‘These are really good. You know, this is really coming together nicely.’

“He does usually get very hands on with the products and trying them out.”

While Lord Sugar was impressed by Tom’s latest efforts, he isn’t afraid to be blunt when required.

He explained: “He has always put a lot of pressure on me to succeed.
He’s been like that kind of headmaster that just gives you a hard time.

“And people sort of say, ‘you know, he does quite like you’. And you’re like, ‘Oh, he’s got a very funny way of showing it’. But we’ve had some ups and some downs.”

Despite this, their partnership has endured much longer than many other winners of The Apprentice.

The Mirror revealed earlier this year – before the latest series – that only two of the last 10 winners were still in business with Lord Sugar.

They are boxing gym owner Marnie Swindells, who won last year, and 2013 winner Dr Leah Totton, who runs cosmetics clinics.

Meanwhile some of those who have ended their working relationship with Lord Sugar include 2022 winner Harpreet Kaur, 2016 winner Alana Spencer and joint 2017 winners Sarah Lynn and James White.

I think there was less synergy

Tom Pellereau

Discussing why he thinks he has bucked the trend, Tom said: “I think it’s really helped me that I do products, and that was his origin.

“You know, he started with car aerials, car stereos, then consumer electronics, so he really likes products and he has a lot to offer me in terms of helping with retailer dealings and with suppliers and that sort of thing.

“I think some of the other businesses, which were a bit different, I think maybe there was less synergy, so to speak.”

The Apprentice biggest moments

THE Apprentice has been a fan favourite ever since it burst onto the box in 2005.

Here we take a look at five of the biggest moments over the years on the hit BBC One show.

Tim Campbell – Former London Underground transport manager Tim Campbell won the first series of the reality show in 2005. He is now one of Lord Sugar’s aides on the show.

 Sarah Lynn and James White – For the first and only time in the show’s history, both finalists were crowned winners in 2017.

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Amy Anzel – Season 16’s fired candidate Amy Anzel was BANNED from the final celebration show, after a tit-for-tat exchange over Lord Sugar’s mocking tweets.

Michelle Dewberry – Telecoms consultant Michelle Dewberry won the second series of the show in 2006. However, after winning a six-figure job with Lord Sugar she lasted just four months before she sensationally quit.

Selena Waterman-Smith – We’re used to tensions running high in the boardroom, but in 2015 a disagreement between two candidates spilled over – for the first time – into a physical bust-up. Events manager Selina Waterman-Smith was given a verbal warning by show bosses for her role in an off-camera scrap with Charleine Wain.

Tom has also had to juggle growing his business with his personal life, which has changed a lot since he won The Apprentice.

He said: “It’s been hard work. I have had children. So I’ve had two children in that time and I wasn’t even married at the beginning.

“So life has been incredible for those 13 years.”

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The Apprentice airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer. The Stylpro range is available here.

Timeline of the allegations against Pernice

PHILLIP Schofield has claimed that another TV presenter had a secret age-gap affair – but it hasn’t been exposed yet.

The former This Morning host, 62, talked openly about being ‘thrown under a bus’ by former ITV colleagues on his Channel 5 documentary.

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During the second episode, which aired earlier this week, Phillip reflected on the affair scandal that led to his exit from the show.

Speaking to the camera, he said: “Shamed, disgraced Phillip Schofield who had an affair.

“Strangely, I think another TV presenter or two might have done exactly the same thing. Difference is, heterosexual.”

Phillip then insisted that age gap relationships are “not an unusual thing in the gay world”.

The ex Dancing On Ice presenter then suggested that the public would have reacted differently if his affair had been with a woman.

He continued: “If that had been the case with me and it had been a woman. Pat on the back. ”Well done mate.”

During the three-part documentary, which saw Phillip survive alone on a deserted island.

Phillip blamed his downfall on a trio of leading ­figures at ITV — branding them the “three sh**s” of showbiz.

Among those he appears to take aim at in Channel 5’s Cast Away — are his former This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby.

Another is thought to be This Morning editor Martin Frizell — who Phil seems to blame for letting him take the flak over “Queuegate”, when he and Holly were accused of pushing in to see the Queen lying in state.

Other targets could include ITV chief Dame Carolyn McCall.

Phillip was forced to leave This Morning after 22 years following a fling with a much younger man.

Talking about his 40-year TV career, he says: “They know how important that was to me.

“They know when you throw someone under a bus, you’ve got to have a really bloody good reason to do it. Brand, ambition is not good enough.”

He goes on: “People can be fake. They can be so fake with you when it’s all going well, and suddenly utter, utter betrayal.

“There are a lot of amazing people in morning television.

“I think there are only three sh*s. One of them is a coward who never stepped up in queuegate.

“One is a coward, because they never stepped up when I was being battered And the other is just brand-orientated.

“Not what you expect, not what you think you’re going to get.”

Elsewhere in the three-parter which sees him spend ten days alone on a small island off Madagascar, Phillip hints the show is his showbiz swansong.

He says: “They’ve taken pretty much everything. Reputation, dignity, legacy, everything.

“I’m not bleating, I’m just getting it off my chest. And anyone who’s bitter about that, honestly, you can f* off ’cause I don’t give a s*t. I quit.”

On last night’s final episode, Phillip said he would never work in daytime television again – and has no TV plans for the future.

A producer asked the star: “What’s next?”

Phil replied: “Nothing. Nothing. I’m happy with nothing.

“I’ve got family and friends and a dog.

“This is my new happy place.”

He also said: “Look, I love telly. I’ve got telly in my bones.

“But I won’t sit on a sofa again. I’m not going to do that again.

“And there are some people I won’t work for again. Some people I won’t work with again.

“I’ve been hurt so badly by that sort of telly that you get to the point where you think ‘I don’t want to do it anymore’.”

Phil also revealed how he didn’t quit This Morning – but rather sacked by bosses.

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Drea de Matteo has praised her Desperate Housewives co-star Marcia Cross for being “unapologetically Botoxed” and a “pure f**king genius”.

The Sopranos actor, who now makes a living on OnlyFans, starred in the popular Noughties series following a group of glamorous neighbours living on Wisteria Lane. De Matteo played Angie Bolen on season six of the show between 2009 and 2010.

The 52-year-old confirmed rumours there was tension on set between the cast members, and said she was “warned to just stay out of it”.

However, there was one star in particular who she admired above the others.

“I mean, watching Marcia Cross work was one of my favourite things on the planet,” she told Metro about Cross who played Bree Van de Kamp.

“I loved that she was unapologetically Botoxed to the nines and she could perform her balls off without ever moving a muscle in her face.

“I felt like that was genius, pure f**king genius. I thought all of them were. I really was very taken with watching them perform. I really, really enjoyed it.”

Used to being on “male driven shows” the star enjoyed being around the group of women as she continued, “They were very composed at all times and kept everything contained and under the surface, but there was a fire underneath them that was so intense. I really, really learned a lot watching them.”

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However, the actor said that although she enjoyed her experience, she didn’t feel like she belonged.

“But I also knew that I didn’t fit in there,” she said. “It wasn’t my style of acting, I wasn’t good at that kind of acting, and I had to just accept that that wasn’t who I was, as an actor.

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“I fit into a different category – not that we can’t move through categories as actors, but I don’t think that I am as skilled, maybe, in some ways. But maybe one of those girls can’t play a down-and-out drug addict and look as ugly as I can look on film?”

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Speaking about feuds between actors on the show, de Matteo suggested that she opted to avoid any conflict.

“I was definitely warned. I was warned just to stay out of it. There was tension, of course, it’s an all-female set.

“I actually think there was more tension on the Sons of Anarchy set than there was on the Desperate Housewives set, to be honest with you.”