'Apprentice' star hits out at show's bullies

Fired Apprentice contestant Adam Hosker has complained that he was treated worse on the show than Celebrity Big Brother's Shilpa Shetty.

The 27-year-old car salesman claimed that he was targeted by his fellow contestants because of his working class background and Northern accent.

He added that Bollywood star Shilpa, who was at the centre of an international controversy over the way her fellow Big Brother contestants treated her, "had it easy" compared to him.

"The backstabbing was unbelievable. I thought it was supposed to be a business show, I thought people would behave more professionally - not like on Big Brother," Adam told the News of the World. "I was shocked at all the comments made about me behind my back - with people wishing death on others... it was awful.

"Compared to what I went through, Shilpa had it easy. All she had to do was sit around in a house. On top of everything else, I was trying to get a job. To be honest I got quite a bit of grief, and I can't really put my finger on why. I'm Northern, I used to sell cars and I'm working class - people did club together to get shot of me.

"In the real world of business you don't see that sort of behaviour where people are looked down on because of where they come from. But it definitely happened in the house. I don't want to come across as though I was a victim but there were some fairly below-the-belt nasty comments made that shouldn't have been made."