THE APPRENTICE - PAULA JONES FIRED FROM APPRENTICE AFTER SOAP FAILURE

PAULA JONES FIRED FROM APPRENTICE AFTER SOAP FAILURE

Paula Jones has become the latest contestant fired from The Apprentice after a costing mistake on a cosmetics task.

The human resources consultant got the boot from the BBC1 show after her Empire team spent more than £1,100 on producing their products.

Jones, 29, had led the team to a loss of £493.97 and blamed the failure on team-mate Ben Clarke, 22.

"Ben became completely unnecessarily aggressive towards me," she said after her firing.

"I think he took it personally that I took him into the boardroom. He accepted no responsibility whatsoever and just behaved like a child, like a bully."

Jones added: "He's very, very opinionated. It won't surprise me if he gets fired fairly soon, because nobody likes a bully."

Sir Alan Sugar's assistant Nick Hewer pointed out that Empire might not have spent so much had they noted the price difference between cedarwood and sandalwood.

"Never mind making soap, this sounds like a bleeding soap opera," he told Jones, Clarke and Yasmina Siadatan in the boardroom.

"Ben, you were put in charge of costings, I think that is kind of a crime.

"Yasmina what is annoying me the most is that you are someone who has a business of your own where it is very to similar to this, albeit cosmetics rather than food, and you have made a fatal error."

He concluded: "On balance I have decided though that Paula, you are responsible for the fatal mistake. So, you're fired."

Noorul Choudhury led the Ignite team who made fewer sales but made a £493.97 profit.