After a decade as Lord Sugar 's sidekick, Nick Hewer decided to 'fire' himself from The Apprentice.
The trusted aide was known for his no-nonsense approach with candidates, becoming known for his witty remarks, those disapproving eye rolls and pulling the sucking-a-lemon face.
Nick's friendship with Lord Sugar began in 1983 when his PR company was hired by Amstrad to represent them, then started taking care of The Apprentice boss' profile across all business and personal dealings
The 78-year-old spent 21 years in the Amstrad management group before selling his PR agency in 1998 - but has remained close friends with Lord Sugar ever since.
Nick became famous for his hilarious one-liners, once telling a team they were "all over it like a tramp on chips" when they stole an idea from a mother in a focus group.
Sadly, Nick announced he was "leaving the process" in 2014 after 10 years at Lord Sugar's side - and was replaced by current aide Claude Littner.
So what happened to Nick after he retired from The Apprentice?
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The Apprentice viewers were gutted when Nick announced he was leaving the boardroom - having been "pondering" his exit for some time.
"So I leave with relief, tinged with regret. Anyone can do what Karren 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," he explained at the time.
"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.”
Lord Sugar admitted it was a "sad moment" that Nick was leaving and thanked his friend for all the help and assistance he'd given over the years.
Nick added: "I think The Apprentice is a truly valuable programme, teaching young people the basics of business - not in a classroom setting, but in a wonderfully entertaining format.
"And the winners each year validate the value of the show - talented, creative and hardworking young people, all of whom are making a great success of their businesses."
But that wasn't the end of Nick on our screens, as he had been appointed Countdown host in 2012 and continued to present the Channel 4 gameshow.
Nick once admitted Countdown had given him insomnia because the numbers and letters "spin" around his head through the night.
The presenter said their filming schedule saw the team record five episodes at once, leaving him unable to stop picturing the show’s blue cards containing white letters and numbers.
"I cant bloody sleep after a day at Countdown," he admitted. "The only thing about Countdown that I don’t like is that my mind is spinning at the end of a day. We do five a day and you see all these numbers and words spinning around.
"We have got to keep up the energy level. We are doing 260 episodes a year. They have upped it."
He also hosted a number of BBC documentaries alongside Margaret Mountford, who was another of Lord Sugar's original aides on The Apprentice.
They presented a two-parter investigating benefits culture, We All Pay Your Benefits, a show looking at the problem with trains, one on the impacts and attitudes towards immigrants in the UK and another on the challenges we face against littering.
Margaret also appeared in Countdown's Dictionary Corner on two occasions while Nick was host and the pair went on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip in 2015.
After 10 years of fronting Countdown, Nick decided to step down from hosting duties in December 2020.
Announcing his decision to step down, Nick penned: "Delighted to be back in the Countdown studio after another enforced lockdown, BUT this latest lockdown has given me an opportunity to consider my future life.
"I’ve decided it’s a good time to step down at the end of my contract in the New Year.
"As someone in his 77th year, who will be in his 10th year hosting the great British institution that is Countdown, I think it’s time to smell the flowers and get a dog."
Nick thanked the production staff, his co-stars Rachel Riley and Susie Dent, the viewers and wished luck to his successor, who turned out to be former The Weakest Link host Anne Robinson.
In his final ever episode, Lord Sugar sent Nick a sweet video message with a cheeky line at the end.
Congratulations now on 10 years of Countdown. That makes you I believe the second longest serving host since Richard Whitely. 18 series, 2,000 shows, about time you deserved a bit of leisure," said Lord Sugar.
"So congratulations on such a great innings but Nick, I've waited a long time to say this, 'you're retired'."
Nick, who has two children with first wife Margo Spindler, has been with long-term partner Catherine for 20 years and credited her with turning his life around.
In February 2019, Nick confessed that if he did marry again it would be for love AND money, as only a financial incentive could tempt him down the aisle again.
"Don’t get me wrong, it has crossed my mind," Nick said. "We will probably get round to it one day when the tax stars are aligned. Yes that’s right, it will be a business decision."
He said he had learnt from mistakes he made in his 12-year marriage to Margo and admitted he is "not very well organised domestically".
Nick continued: "It works because Catherine and I are too busy to spend every waking moment together,” says Nick who’s just signed a two-year extension to continue on Countdown.
"I am always travelling and I ask her to spend time with me but she wants to do her own thing and runs a successful business.
"But I am trying to spend more time at home. My first marriage suffered as a result of me always working."
Nick will be back on our screens later this year hosting new Channel 4 show DNA Diners - where celebs are reunited with their long-lost relatives.
Each of the celebrities will be asked to cook dinner for four people, one of which is a distant relative of theirs, and they will be tasked with guessing who of the four diners is related to them in some way.
"DNA Diners was commissioned by Channel 4 because it’s such a fun concept and has never been done before," a source told The Sun.
"The premise is that celebrities will be coming face-to-face with relatives they didn’t even know existed - all while hosting a dinner party."
Before filming began, each of the stars had a DNA test so that a genealogist could look into their family tree.
Whilst the concept has been described as "out there", bosses are convinced the show will make "amazing telly".
Hopefully Nick won't be firing any of the celebrities.
