Apprentice contestant Naomi Lay is worried that a secret sex tape could ruin her chances of being hired by Sir Alan Sugar.

The 26-year-old fears that a video she made with a former boyfriend could leak on to the internet after hearing a rumour that it has found its way into the hands of one of her ex's friends.

A source told the News of the World: "Naomi is terribly ambitious. You can tell from all the pictures on her MySpace website that she's a fun girl who knows how to enjoy herself, but she has a very serious side when it comes to business and she knows that she'll be a laughing stock professionally if the video ever gets out.

"This tape could undo years of hard work. She'll do everything she can to stop it being seen."