'Apprentice' Lee missed girlfriend on show

Apprentice winner Lee McQueen has revealed that he missed his girlfriend while filming the show.

The former salesman said he cried when he was reunited with company director Nicola Jellyman after the shoot.

He told Hello!: "Being away from Nicola for nearly three months was the hardest thing about being on The Apprentice.

"I just remember her running down the drive on the day I came home, throwing her arms around me and we both just burst into tears."

McQueen admitted that he pursued Jellyman while she was in a relationship with one of his friends, saying: "She was really driven and ambitious and that was massively attractive to me. I could tell she was going places and I wanted to be part of it.

"I believe that if you truly feel something is meant to be, you have to go for it. And here we are, nine years later, still happy and in love, so I was right."

He also denied speculation that he is romantically involved with the show's runner-up Claire Young, telling The Sun: "I heard all these rumours but they were just that. Me and Nicola are solid. We have a great life together - I’m not going to jeopardise that."