Sugar slams 'booster seat' rumours

Sir Alan Sugar has rubbished claims that he uses a raised seat to appear taller on The Apprentice.

Recent pictures of Sugar's boardroom chair resting on a wooden plinth surfaced, suggesting that producers wanted to make the 5ft 6ins Amstrad chief seem more imposing.

Responding to the rumours, Sugar told the Press Association: "That's a load of rubbish. The chair is fixed to stop it moving backwards and forwards while allowing me to swing to the left and the right."

He added that he regularly stands next to advisers Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford and doesn't appear diminutive.

"Anyone who watches the programme will know that I stand next to Nick and Margaret and the candidates, and I'm seen getting out of the car thousands of times," he said. "It's a total joke. It's there to secure the four wheels to stop it moving backwards and forwards."