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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Jessica Gibb

Apprentice star Reece breaks silence after being brutally 'kicked off show for drinking'

The Apprentice star Reece Donnelly has broken his silence after being kicked off the show.

Reece Donnelly was axed from The Apprentice after drinking too much alcohol on the flight to Dubai, it's been claimed.

“I was presented with a choice, you know, and I had to listen to my body,” Reece told STV News.

“It was filmed last year, and I don’t want to ruin the TV-magic for anyone so I won’t say much about that – but sometimes you have to choose your health over wealth.”

Reece says that despite having to leave the show he is "so grateful" for it and says he feels he "achieved a lot" on the show.

The Apprentice star Reece Donnelly has spoken out after leaving the show (BBC)

He is continuing to work on his performing arts school, The Theatre School of Scotland, and is hoping to set up franchises around the UK.

The candidate was hoping to bag Lord Alan Sugar's £250,000 investment into his business, but last night it was claimed he was booted from the programme after drinking too much during their flight to Dubai for the task.

This week, Lord Sugar tasked the remaining candidates with organising and running corporate away days for clients in Dubai.

They were all seen heading to Heathrow Airport to find out what they'd had to do and catch their flight, with Reece expressing his excitement in the taxi for where they might be going.

The Apprentice cast flew to Dubai for a task (BBC/Fremantle Media/Ray Burmiston)

However, when they landed in Dubai and got into their teams, Reece was nowhere to be seen.

When they later returned to the UK, Lord Sugar confirmed that Reece was out the competition, telling the others: "So, as you know, Reece wasn't able to take part in the task and has subsequently left the process."

However, it's now been claimed that Reece had been drinking on the flight even when he was told not to.

He's 'grateful' for his time on the show (BBC/Fremantle Media/Ray Burmiston)
Reece runs a theatre school in Scotland (Instagram)

"Reece was sent home and didn't film in Dubai. Producers were unimpressed when he had several alcoholic drinks on the flight even though he was told not to," the insider shared to the MailOnline, "Lord Sugar was obviously furious, he couldn't believe someone would risk securing his £250,000 investment for the sake of a drink."

The Mirror has contacted Reece for comment.

Reece Donnelly was reportedly axed from The Apprentice after drinking too much alcohol on the flight to Dubai (BBC)

A spokesperson for The Apprentice said: "Reece was unable to continue in the process, this was discussed and agreed between Reece and programme-makers."

Reece previously insisted he had left due to health issues but insisted he had still achieved his "goal", sharing: "I could not continue in The Apprentice due to being unable to complete the task in Dubai for health reasons.

Lord Sugar with the cast of The Apprentice (PA)

My goal of being on The Apprentice was to showcase that Scotland has amazing businesses and entrepreneurs. I really hope I’ve done that," he added of why he wanted to take part on the show in the first place.

He vowed to continue watching his fellow candidates in the process.

Reece added: "I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time on the show and I’m looking forward to watching my fellow candidates in the rest of the series. I’m so grateful for my time with Lord Sugar and the team."

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