Where are Apprentice originals Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford now?

The Apprentice has been on our screens since 2005. 

Over the years, Lord Alan Sugar, 79, has been joined by a number of different advisers to help him pick the perfect business partner.

Right now, as of series 20 (2026), Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell MBE are by his side to guide him through the tough process. 

And it’s been a huge week for Karishma Vijay as she was crowned winner of the series earlier this week, and she also just got engaged too. 

But 21 years ago, he was joined by Nick Hewer, 82, and Margaret Mountord, and they saw the likes of Tim, Michelle Dewberry and Simon Ambrose win the £100,000-a-year job working with Lord Sugar. 

Nick appeared on the BBC show as Lord Sugar’s aide for the first 10 series, between 2005 to 2014, meanwhile Margaret was an advisor for the first five series and left in 2009. 

Fans were over the moon to see them back on our screens for the BBC finale on Thursday.  

But have you ever wondered what the pair are up to now?

Let’s take a look…  

Nick Hewer 

Nick decided to leave the programme in 2014 because he confessed that his ‘stamina is not up to those long weeks’.

The businessman made the announcement before The Apprentice final in 2014, and said: ‘I leave with relief, tinged with regret. Anyone can do what Karren (Brady) and I have been doing, but it takes stamina to follow the candidates week after week, and my stamina is not up to those long weeks.

‘I shall continue to enjoy the show from my armchair, marvelling at the candidates’ self-esteem, at the sky-high production values of the producers and at the extraordinary talent of my old friend Alan Sugar.’

Nick was replaced by Claude Littner during series 11 in 2015. 

The PR guru took on the role of presenting Channel 4’s Countdown while he was still on The Apprentice, and carried that on until he was replaced by Anne Robinson in 2021.

Nowadays, Nick is a motivational speaker who can be booked to talk about his career in business, TV presenting and charity work.

The star has also done a lot of work with charities, such as the Pancreatic Cancer Action, who he was made patron of in 2015.

‘I am very pleased to become patron of Pancreatic Cancer Action. After meeting Ali, I was hugely impressed by the charity’s approach and ambition.

‘I’m aware first hand, through the loss of a family member and a number of close friends, of the devastating impact of a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, and I know that so much more needs to be done to improve survival rates for patients. 

‘The charity is determined to achieve this by focussing on early diagnosis and making the public and medical community more aware of the symptoms and risks,’ Nick previously said of his role. 

He was also made president of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists in April 2019.

Nick said at the time: ‘My public relations background, coupled with having a media profile for the last 18 years has enabled me to highlight the charitable work of others – particularly raising awareness of causes close to my heart, and of which I am a Patron, such as Hope and Homes for Children, Street Child Sierra Leone, Fairtrade, and Pancreatic Cancer Action.

‘I’m very excited to be appointed as President of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and look forward to applying my media expertise to help the organisation meet its charitable aims and objectives.’

He’s also worked with Street Child. 

Since leaving The Apprentice, he has also appeared in other TV shows such as Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (2015), The Great British Bake Off: Stand Up To Cancer (2018), Pilgrimage (2023) and the celeb edition of The Weakest Link in 2023. 

Margaret Mountford 

Margaret decided to leave the show at the end of series five back in 2009 to focus on her PhD studies in papyrology at University College London. 

She was replaced by baroness Karren in series six.

Although Margaret waved goodbye to the boardroom, she did end up back on the programme between 2010 and 2013 to interrogate the contestants in the interview stage.

She later explained to What’s On TV that she was never asked back again after that.

Margaret said: ‘They didn’t ask me back. I suppose I was fired! 

‘Obviously they weren’t going to want me to carry on doing interviews forever, and nor did I want to do them forever.

‘I’m pleased I did it. I went through a while of thinking that I wasn’t happy, but now I am and it’s opened doors for me.’ 

Nowadays, Margaret has returned to academia and is the president of the Steering Committee for the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.

She is also the Egypt Exploration Society and Bright Ideas Trust’s chairman. 

The businesswoman has also worked with various charities including Action. 

The star is also available as a motivational speaker. 

After The Apprentice she did also land a number of other TV gigs, including Countdown (2012 – 2017), We All Pay Your Benefits (2013), Groundbreakers: Ulster’s Forgotten Radical (2013), Nick and Margaret: Too many Immigrants? (2014), Don’t Mess with Me (2014), Celebrity Antiques Roadtrip (2015).