The Apprentice fans awkwardly forced to tell Claude Littner that contestant died
Fans of The Apprentice have been questioning Claude Littner’s tribute to a candidate who died 11 years ago.
Earlier today, Claude, 76, paid homage to Stuart Baggs, a candidate who appeared on Series 6 of The Apprentice (UK) in 2010.
‘Sad news indeed about the passing of Stuart Baggs,’ it read.
‘A memorable interviewee on “The Apprentice”. He stunned me with his unforgettable response, claiming he was “a brand”…. brilliant👏. RIP🙏’
As touching a memorial as this is, there was just one problem: Stuart died 11 years ago in 2015.
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, Claude’s fans were quick to point this out online and tease The Apprentice legend about his mistake.
‘Why has it taken you 11 years?’ asked @Keith_Bredrin. ‘Yes, it was very sad, but he died in 2015, Claude,’ added @CiesseJay.
@michaelmcguk meanwhile was perhaps the most excoriating, saying: ‘Didn’t he die 11 years ago?? This is pretty poor, Claude. Delete it and save some face.’
It was @ChrisDodd12, however, who perhaps summed the situation up best when he chimed in with, ‘You’ve had a shocker here, Claude.’
Still others pointed out that this probably wasn’t a mistake.
@woolyw0 wrote: ‘Some of the comments! Of course, Claude knows he hasn’t just passed away!
‘You are allowed to make a comment like that years after someone has passed! Some will just jump on any comment.’
Other fans pointed out that Claude was likely a reaction to a recent tweet by Lord Sugar that also paid tribute to Stuart.
Yesterday, the business mogul tweeted: ‘Whenever it comes to Interviews week, my mind goes back to the dear departed Stuart Baggs – RIP. Such a great character on #TheApprentice.’
Stuart, who founded his broadband business when he was just 13, is something of a legend in The Apprentice fandom.
Known as Stuart Baggs ‘The Brand’ after he defiantly told Claude he was a brand in his own right, he was known for his enthusiasm and exuberance.
The would-be tycoon made it all the way to the semi-finals, where his hopes came crashing down during the interview process.
He was eventually fired by Lord Sugar, who told him he was ‘full of sh*t’ and left the process.
Undeterred, he continued to run his business until he died in 2015 after suffering an asthma attack when he was just 27-years-old.
In a Facebook post from the time, his sister Charlotte wrote: ‘Today, my dearest brother Stuart Baggs gained his wings. To say we are all shocked and devastated is an understatement.
‘Love him or hate him, he touched many people’s lives from his TV antics to his amazing work with Bluewave Communications.”
‘He was the biggest character and will leave the biggest hole behind. Not knowing what or why makes it all the harder.
‘Can’t explain how proud I am of him. He was the king of following his dreams and making them happen.’
Metro has reached out to Claude’s reps for comment.
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