Inside The Apprentice’s romances with secret romps and baby joy as series returns

IT might be against the rules, but Apprentice contestants can’t seem to keep their hands off each other.

Brittany Carter – who narrowly missed out on a place in last year’s final – and fired Nick Showering set tongues wagging when they were caught cosying up last February.

Brittany, 25, was seen on a night out with finance manager Nick, 31, in London looking very close. 

But their blossoming relationship is forbidden, as the BBC One show has a strict ban on hook ups.

This has never stopped the amorous bunch from getting up close and personal, mind. 

From flings and fetishes to babies and true love, meet the Apprentice contestants who’ve got all fired up. 

Office romance 

The first ever couple to come from the show was in 2009, when Phil Taylor and Kate Walsh fell in love. 

Former estate agent Phillip and businesswoman Kate had clashed in the boardroom.

Kate even got Phillip fired in a heated exchange with Lord Sugar – but the fall out clearly didn’t last for long. 

After the series they announced they were together and decided to move in shortly after – but vowed never to marry. 

Phillip told Grazia: “I didn’t get a job, but I did get Kate. I know that she is the one.” 

Although they were thought to have split, Phil confirmed in 2018 they were still together. 

Four man outfit

Things got heated in 2016, when Grainne McCoy, Paul Sullivan, ex-stripper Jessica Cunningham and Courtney Wood were all found smooching under the covers by producers.

Both couples had become close during filming in 2016 – despite being boardroom rivals. 

A source told The Mirror: “Both couples would suddenly disappear and there were several times they’d be found upstairs under the covers, kissing.” 

The production team were said to have ordered the boys back to their own beds.

A source said: “Jessica gave Courtney a pet name, ‘C-Dubz’. She cried during the series, and he’d give her cuddles. But one time they were kissing under the covers in her room and got ticked off.

“The most nauseating incident was when Jessica picked spots off his back.”

But after the show wrapped, so did their hook ups. 

The insider added: “Paul and Grainne lived too far apart. Jessica adored Courtney but she has three kids and he isn’t ready to settle down.”

Commuter baby

Harrison Jones and Michaela Wain are parents of the only Apprentice baby to date.

The couple competed on the series in 2017 and are still together today. 

A year after meeting on the show, Michaela posted on Instagram announcing the birth of their son Grayson George Jones.

Despite starting a family, the pair still live over 200 miles apart, with Harrison’s business in Watford and Michaela’s in Bolton.

Michaela, already a mum to a son from a previous relationship, told new! magazine: “I go down every other weekend when I don’t have my son and then Harrison comes up every other weekend.”

Messy merger

In 2019, contestants Lottie Lion and Lewis Ellis are thought to have got together while filming. 

They reportedly got steamy when filming in Finland for the show – and were busted by other candidates. 

Ex-librarian Lottie claimed she was dumped from sister show You’re Fired because of the romance. 

She told the Metro: “It upset me, they told me I had broken my contract because of what happened with Lewis during the process.”

A spokesperson for The Apprentice said at the time: “Following an inquiry by the production company into the unacceptable comments made by Lottie on a private messenger service, she was informed that she would not be invited to participate on You’re Fired.”

Business affairs

During the 2017 series of The Apprentice, Jade English and James White were rumoured to be hooking up.

It was scandalous as winner James was engaged at the time, while PR manager Jade had a long-term boyfriend. 

A source said: “They couldn’t resist getting to know each other that bit better during their time in the house.

“Afterwards they kept things going for a while, but relations have cooled off between them since filming ended.”

Jade broke up with her boyfriend shortly after she was fired by Lord Sugar. 

She said in December 2017: “I returned home to where my partner and I lived. I just knew I was different and so did my partner.

“I finally bit the bullet and made the hard decision to move out after all of our years together.” 

Full-on flings

In 2014’s season 10, it was revealed James Hill was dating fellow candidate solicitor Lauren Riley.

A source told The Celeb Report: “It didn’t take [James] long to woo Lauren.

“They had a fairly full-on fling. They were always sneaking off.”

While their love didn’t last, series winner James tried his hand at dating again on Celebrity Dinner Dates. 

Fancy firings 

Ex-army contestant Paul Callaghan was sacked after another competitor suggested he had a relationship with Katie Hopkins in 2007. 

Sir Alan demanded: “Are you telling me they’re carrying on inside the house?” before opting to fire Paul rather than other contestants.

But Paul said: “I was totally robbed. It was so unfair.”

He added: “We were mates. We got close. There was no bonking in the attic, though, that’s for sure. Maybe we should have done it anyway, considering I ended up getting fired!”

Paul later confessed he was touchy-feely with Katie in the programme’s house.

He added: “That may have happened. But there was no exchange of bodily fluids. And it happened during downtime, not during the task. We certainly weren’t too busy bonking to sell. We were completely professional. We did get quite close but it didn’t affect our performance at all.”

Illicit meetings

Candidate Jordan Poulton appeared on the 2014 series and shortly after spilled the beans on his saucy sessions with Luisa Zissman.

But he claimed the producers were always trying to thwart their sexy escapades.  

He told the Sun: “When I was with Luisa I spent a lot of time in cupboards — literally.

“It wasn’t easy to have sex in the Apprentice house as there were minders living there trying to stop us.

“Our routine was, I’d go off somewhere and she’d disappear too, and we’d muck around until someone came to find us.

“When people try to stop you having sex, the tension ramps up more.”

Retirement party 

Former teacher Noorul Choudary didn’t hook up on the show – but instead had a fetish for grandmas. 

Noorul – who was on the series in 2009 – reportedly met up with older lovers on dating sites, where he pretended to be a doctor.

He wrote on his dating profile: “Mature women needed by a young medic!”

One girlfriend grandmother, Lyn Bamforth, told the Mirror: “He is obsessed with older women. He is a sleaze ball and a liar.”

She added: “I can’t believe I was taken in by this man. He constantly went on about his job as a top surgeon, he got me to record medical programmes for him and even offered to operate on my ex-husband’s dodgy knees. I was really upset when the relationship fizzled out.”

Noorul admitted to the Sunday Mirror knowing Mrs Bamforth and confessed to having a fling with another lady – but said it had finished and they were now “just friends”.

He also failed to impress on the BBC One show. As Noorul exited the programme, Lord Sugar quipped: “Whoever employs him better get a receipt.”

Hand in your notice

Apprentice winner Dr Leah Totton hooked up with fellow winner, digital marketeer Mark Wright.

Leah, who went on to run a chain of botox clinics, was champion in 2014, while Mark won the series the year before. 

A source said of their fledging romance: “It’s really sweet. They’re only in the early days of their romance but Mark has been sending Leah lots of gifts, and so far the two of them have really hit it off.

“They’re both highly motivated, successful people. That was one reason they’ve found each other so attractive. They both have offices in the business district of East London and see each other a lot.”

The pair coupled up in 2015 but the romance fizzled out the following year. 

Aussie Mark said in 2016: “We are both incredibly driven people and, due to our busy schedules, the relationship just wasn’t working, so we decided to go our separate ways.”