'The Apprentice's Mergim Butaja and Elle Stevenson are just "friends".
Mergim Butaja
Sales account manager Mergim and construction operations executive Elle were reported to have enjoyed a one night stand after meeting on the show, but Mergim has now rubbished claims of a romance.
He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "At the end of the day, we're friends. I made a lot of friends in the process - Brett [Butler-Smythe], Richard [Woods], Gary [Poulton], David [Stevenson], Joseph [Valente], the guys. I'm friends with Elle, Natalie [Dean], so yeah."
However, the 23-year-old former candidate did hint that something had happened between him and Elle.
Asked how he felt after hearing the rumours, he said: "You've just got to laugh it off because that's the only thing you can do. At the end of the day, I'm a young, good looking chap with a lot of good qualities so for anyone to refuse me, it would be a shock."
Meanwhile, Elle admitted that while she's "fine" with the attention, she's hoping to "fade into insignificance again now" she's been booted off the show by Lord Alan Sugar.
She explained: "I think when you put yourself on a show that is so high profile, that's what's going to happen and my friends and family are cool with it and you deal with it and move on so I'm fine with it and now I'm gone hopefully there will be nothing else ... I'm quite happy just to fade into insignificance again now."
Elle, Mergim and former Miss Jamaica April Jackson were sacked by Lord Sugar in a shock triple-firing in last night's (11.11.15) episode of 'The Apprentice'.
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