Apprentice star Claude Littner lost his spot on the show after suffering injuries during a bicycle accident three years ago.
The businessman, 74, was previously an adviser to Lord Sugar alongside Karren Brady, before being replaced by series one winner Tim Campbell.
However, Claude admitted it was “not his decision” to return to the boardroom, and informed his followers that he is now “fully recovered.”
It’s not all bad news for Claude fans, as the show’s favorite revealed he will be returning for the interview stage of the reality TV competition.
Claude made this confession during an exchange with an I miss you on the show!’
The Apprentice star Claude Littner lost his spot on the show after suffering injuries during a bicycle accident three years ago.
The businessman, 74, was previously an adviser to Lord Sugar alongside Karren Brady, before being replaced by series one winner Tim Campbell.
However, Claude admitted it was “not his decision” to return to the boardroom, and informed his followers that he is now “fully recovered.”
He then responded: ‘Honestly, that’s not my decision. I am completely recovered. Thank you.’
However, Claude revealed that he would return to The Apprentice in episode 11 for interviews, to quiz the remaining candidates about the viability of their business plans.
Responding to concerned fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, Claude confirmed: “I will,” when asked if he would return for interviews.
He told another viewer that he would be back for: ‘Episode 11. Interviews.’
At the time of his departure, Claude insisted that he would pay close attention to the candidates’ antics from his couch rather than the boardroom.
He said in a statement: “While I’m disappointed I won’t be out covering assignments or in the boardroom for this upcoming series, I’ll definitely be glued to the action from my couch.”
Claude’s replacement Tim, who was the first winner of the business reality competition almost 17 years ago, previously admitted he was stunned when his former mentor Lord Alan Sugar asked him to join the show – and not I believed the offer was valid. genuine at first.
During an interview with Radio Times magazine, he recalled thinking: ‘Is this a joke? I thought people would barge in with cameras and say, “Gotcha!” I thought, ‘Why are you calling?’ When he explained to me, I said, ‘Are you serious?’ It was crazy.
It’s not all bad news for Claude fans, as the show’s favorite revealed he will be returning for the interview stage of the reality TV competition.
However, Claude admitted it was “not his decision” to return to the boardroom, and informed his followers that he is now “fully recovered.”
It’s not all bad news for Claude fans, as the show’s favorite revealed he will be returning for the interview stage of the reality TV competition.
Having been on The Apprentice since 2015, viewers were saddened and worried when Claude did not appear in the season’s debut episode.
In even more positive news, Claude expressed the potential that he could return fully for the 2025 season.
One fan tweeted: ‘I miss ClaudeLittner on the apprentice again this year! Waiting for him to come back…’ to which Claude replied: ‘Maybe next year.’ ”No dispersion”.’
At the start of the 2022 series, Claude was replaced at the last minute by Tim, and Sir Alan explained to the candidates: “You may be wondering why this gentleman is here,” before pointing to Tim.
“Unfortunately Claude hasn’t been feeling very well and Tim will help me for the next 11 weeks.”
Claude suffered serious injuries during a freak e-bike accident in April 2021. He underwent nine surgeries to save his leg and had to learn to walk again after the incident near his home in London.
As a result, Claude missed the final two seasons of The Apprentice while he focused on his recovery. He made a brief return in 2023 for a single episode, before Tim stepped in once again.
Responding to concerned fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, Claude confirmed his participation and hinted that he could return fully for the 2025 season.
Appearing last year on Good Morning Britain, Claude gave a health update and said: ‘I’m wonderfully well, thank you. I am very grateful to the ambulance team for looking after me and of course to the surgeons at St Mary’s who put me back together.
‘It was a freak accident. I think someone was taking care of me, but if someone had taken better care of me, I wouldn’t have had the accident; I was lucky to have the ambulance driving behind me.
“I was just going around, I couldn’t have been going more than 10 kilometers per hour on this kind of two-lane road.”
‘The next thing I knew I was on the left side of the road, my bike was in the middle of the road and I didn’t know what happened.
“I suspect I hit a pothole or something, but I must have gone blank at the moment of impact, because the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground.”