Apprentice star Claude Littner: I'll be back

Claude Littner has confirmed he will be returning to \'The Apprentice\' this year.

The 69-year-old businessman has worked as Lord Alan Sugar\'s aide on the series since 2015 keeping an eye on the candidates and, along with Baroness Karren Brady, advising him on who he should fire and who should be crowned the winner of each series.

Although he has been instructed to stay tight-lipped on whether or not he will be back on the BBC One show, Claude has assured fans he is going to be sat on the panel for the 2019 series.

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When asked if he\'s going to be back on \'The Apprentice\' this year, he said: "I\'m not allowed to say, but the answer is yes!"

Speaking about how much he enjoyed being part of the last series, he told BANG Showbiz: "I enjoyed it immensely to be honest. I felt much more comfortable in the role because I\'ve now done it for a few years as opposed to just doing the interviews. It\'s a lot of fun even though it\'s hard work. Actually, Alan, Karen and I get on very well, so despite the fact that it\'s serious and it\'s tough we have our moments of humour. Lord Sugar does his job brilliantly and I do mine passably, so I think that\'s the way it should be."

The 2018 series was won by Sian Gabbidon, with the 25-year-old designer being named as Lord Sugar\'s new business partner, securing herself a £250,000 investment in her swimwear brand SYO.

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Claude thinks that Sian was a "worthy winner" and he was impressed with her performance on all the various tasks but he is predicting that she will find it tough to make a success of her brand because the swimwear market is so saturated.

He said: "I think Charlotte is very good and very talented, I\'m not sure if she\'s going to be able to make a success of the business because it\'s a crowded market and because it\'s very tough, but I think she\'s got real quality and real calibre. Hopefully with the help that Alan can give her and her design brilliance she can hopefully make a go of it, she\'s a worthy winner."