Claude Littner is "doing very well" as he continues his recovery from a "horrific" bike accident.

Lord Alan Sugar

Lord Alan Sugar

Lord Alan Sugar has revealed his 'Apprentice' aide - who has had to step down from the next series to recuperate - is on the mend after a "terrible experience", and he is set to undergo a six-hour operation in the near future.

He said: "He’s doing very, very well. He’s gone through a terrible experience.

"I’ve lost count of the operations that he’s had.

"The irony of it is he was simply going out on a ride on his bike. Not racing, not going fast or anything like that, just doing eight or nine miles an hour [and he] came off. Horrific accident.

"He was so upset that he couldn’t join this series, but he’s doing alright. We talk every couple of days.

"I think he’s going in for a biggie, a six-hour one this week or next week, which is hopefully the final operation."

Claude's replacement on the upcoming series will be Tim Campbell - the first ever winner of the BBC business show, who landed a £100,000-a-year job with Sugar's Amstrad firm in 2005 - and Lord Sugar has warned the candidates they won't face an easy ride from him.

Speaking on 'Lorraine', Lord Sugar, who admitted the next series could air "very early next year", added: "The candidates, while sympathetic that Claude was not here this year, I guess they must have thought, 'Thank God for that.'

"But then I said, 'No, don't think you're onto a good thing because I've got a chap here who knows it all, been there, seen it, done it,' and in comes Tim Campbell."

Last week, Claude confirmed he had stepped down from the next series following the accident.

In a statement, he said: "I’m hugely grateful to all the surgeons and nursing staff at St Marys Hospital for their incredible care and getting me on the road to recovery.

"Whilst I’m disappointed that I won’t be out and about covering the tasks or in boardroom for this upcoming series, I’ll most definitely be glued to the action from my sofa.”

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