BBC Apprentice star Claude Littner had to step down from the show after a serious accident that resulted in him being given a six month prognosis. Claude was known as one of Alan Sugar’s most intimidating interviewers on the show, but after a serious electric bike accident, it left him needing nine operations.
But now he’s made a remarkable recovery from his injuries, after taking a step back from The Apprentice boardroom, and fans will see him return to their screens tonight for the gruelling interview task – and contestants are most likely going to be up for a grilling from the 74-year-old.
Claude, a businessman, would help mentor candidates alongside Karren Brady through their tasks and then offer his views to Lord Sugar, but was replaced by Tim Campbell after his accident. Initially, Claude intimidated candidates as one of the formidable interviewers during the notorious interview stage, later stepping into Nick Hewer’s role as an adviser. Claude then stayed by Lord Sugar’s side from series 11 through series 15 and then once more in series 17 before Tim eventually took his place
The ‘freak accident happened in 2021 in Mill Hill, London, which saw him thrown from his bicycle. Recalling the incident, he said: “I must have been doing no more than ten kilometres an hour on this sort of two-track road,” as reported by the Express. He added: “The next thing I knew, I was on the left-hand side of the street, my bike was in the middle of the road and I didn’t know what happened.
“I suspect I hit a pothole or something like that, but I must have blanked out at the moment of impact, because the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground.” The severity of the accident led to the 75-year-old being rushed to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where there was a possibility of amputation. Claude said: “My wife and my sons were there as well and [the doctors] decided they were going to amputate my leg.”
However, after further deliberation, the medical team opted for immediate surgery in an attempt to save his limb. “Then they had another discussion about it and they said, ‘look, let’s get him into theatre right away tonight and let’s see if we can save his leg.'” Thankfully, the operation was successful, and they did not have to amputate.
He then spoke about his accident in 2023 on Good Morning Britain in 2023 where he said: “It was a freak accident. I think someone was looking out for me but if someone was looking out for me better, I wouldn’t have had the accident,” and expressed his gratitude towards the emergency services.
“I was fortunate to have the ambulance driving behind me. I am extremely thankful to the ambulance crew for taking care of me and of course to the surgeons at St Mary’s who put me back together.”
When he makes his return to The Apprentice tonight, he won’t be returning as an adviser for Lord Sugar, but will be back to interview.
The Apprentice airs tonight on BBC One Thursdays at 9pm and on BBC iPlayer.
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
