Nick Hewer on Apprentice contestant Solomon Akhtar's alleged sex tape: 'Handy skills for when advertising task comes up'

Reports had suggested that an intimate video, featuring Akhtar, 22, and his girlfriend, existed and that he had received threats of it being leaked

Whether it’s more surprising that Nick Hewer appeared as a guest on Loose Women – or that he openly discussed current Apprentice contestant’s Solomon Akhtar’s alleged sex tape on the show – remains to be decided.

Lord Alan Sugar’s right hand man nonetheless took to both the ITV show – and the tabloid subject of speculation – earlier today.

Reports had suggested that an intimate video, featuring Akhtar, 22, and his girlfriend, existed and that he had received threats of it being leaked.

Akhtar himself is yet to comment.

A spokesperson for The Apprentice also declined to comment on the reports.

Asked about the existence of the tape, Hewer told the presenters that while he knew little about the personal lives of the contestants, the skills Akhtar had perhaps employed to create the footage may well prove useful in later rounds.

"That will come in handy when the advertising task comes up and he [Solomon] has to make a real video," Hewer said.

"We can get some interesting shots..."

In the opening episode of the show, she dubiously advised the group of women she was project managing on the first task to "wear loads of lipstick, make up, heels" and "short skirts" in order to win.

Her comments were criticised by fellow Apprentice right-hand woman Karen Brady – the government’s business advisor and vice-chair of West Ham United.

"I think Sarah is rather lucky that I wasn’t following her. She may not have lasted very long," she said earlier this month.

"I think it’s a very old fashioned attitude, that you’ve got to wear short skirts and a lot of make up to get on in life. I think most women look at that and laugh. I think those are antiquated views from a bygone age that thankfully is no longer around."

Questioned by Janet Street-Porter about Dale’s attire during the task, Hewer said: "The winner of The Apprentice is the one who learns the most – she has a lot to learn."