Valley lad is ready for Lord Sugar’s boardroom
AVALLEY ‘prankster’ insists there is another side to his personality after being revealed as a contestant on The Apprentice.
Over coming weeks digital marketing project manager Lewis Ellis, from Haslingden, will become a familiar face in Lord Sugar’s famous boardroom.
Lewis, whose mum Christine, two sisters and brother all also live in Haslingden, hit the headlines in 2016 when he and his friends duped the nation into believing they had mistakenly ended up in war-torn Syria after boarding a dolphin tour.
He later admitted it was a prank video, which followed a previous stunt when he donned a life jacket and goggles and went for a dip in a water feature at the Trafford Centre, to much hilarity.
But the 28-year-old former Haslingden High School student believes viewers may see his more serious side.
Lewis told the Free Press: “I am an enigma. I’m the sort of person who will joke and smile, then I’m serious as hell and work my ass off. I will be watching it with some close friends and I will be trying to see how I come across. I’m very excited.
“I’ve never had to watch myself on TV before, but I have a funny feeling I’m going to look dead serious.”
The former club rep, who gained two business degrees from Chester University, will enter the process aiming to start up a premium travel brand for young professionals.
He has also revealed his sadness at the fate of stricken tour operator Thomas Cook - which collapsed this week - having worked for them when he was younger.
Lewis, who says Lord Sugar has been a personal hero since he picked up his autobiography at a ski resort one day, also laughed off rumours in the national press of an on-screen romance.
He said: “I think it’s quite funny. I’ve been sitting at my desk laughing all day. Unfortunately I’m very single!”
Should he manage to avoid Lord Sugar’s pointed finger and thedreaded catchphrase ‘ You’re fired’, Lewis will scoop a £250,000 investment in his business. And he says his competitiveness and determination will see him through the gruelling process.
“I may not be the smartest guy in the room, but I’ll sure as hell work harder,” he added.
The Apprentice begins on Wednesday, October 2 on BBC One at 9pm.