The Apprentice secretly forced to stop filming due to cast illness - as star reveals Lord Sugar's sweet gesture

The Apprentice was secretly forced to stop filming during this year’s show when one of the candidates unexpectedly fell ill on-set.

BBC bosses reportedly decided to pause filming during the second week when Nadia Suliaman became unwell while filming in the boardroom.

Nadia, who was axed in this week’s episode, recalled how she was struck down by illness during the virtual popstar task and things came to a head in the boardroom.

She claimed production were forced to temporarily stop because she was so unwell in the boardroom and recalled Lord Sugar’s sweet gesture amid her struggles.

‘You know I got quite ill in episode two. I was coughing,’ she told The Sun after her elimination.

‘I was literally coughing so much that I was like splattering and they had to stop production because you know I was ill.

The Apprentice was secretly forced to stop filming during this year’s show when one of the candidates unexpectedly fell ill on-set (pictured: Lord Sugar)

BBC bosses reportedly decided to pause filming during the second week when Nadia Suliaman became unwell while filming scenes in the boardroom

‘This is such a kind thing but it just stuck with me, Lord Sugar just like threw across the table a throat lozenge to me.’

Nadia said Baroness Brady also handed her a tissue as she praised their kindness, saying she was thankful they gave her another chance rather than firing her.

She admitted the incident made her respect Lord Sugar’s decision to fire her during this week’s episode because she was kept on despite her earlier struggles.

‘Had I been thrown out on episode two for example when I was back in the boardroom and ill with the virtual pop star task then I would have been gutted because I didn’t deserve to be back there that day not at all,’ she added.

The BBC declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail.

Since being axed, Nadia has also defended her ‘bullish’ negotiation technique which saw her go viral and be compared to users on resale app Vinted.

Nadia, 36, who owns a chain of high-end hair and beauty salons, was dramatically fired by Lord Sugar in Thursday night’s episode after failing to make a profit as project manager.

Candidates were tasked with turning either potatoes or tomatoes into cash by producing a dish to sell to the public as well as a corporate client.

Nadia (left) praised Lord Sugar for not axing her that week, with Aoibheann Walsh (right) instead going home after going up against herself and Amber Rose Badrudin (centre)

Despite concerns from her co-stars, Nadia bulldozed her team into making pricey sausages and mash and, under her direction, they also failed to adhere to the strict demands of their bespoke corporate order.

After she was found responsible for making a £73.40 loss, Lord Sugar refused to let Nadia fight for her place in the competition as she reentered the boardroom alongside candidates Keir Shave and Dr. Jana Denzel.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline after the brutal sacking, Nadia said she was ‘gutted’ not to have gone further but doesn’t regret being a hard negotiator.

Nadia said: ‘I was absolutely gutted. I feel like I should have gone further and ultimately pushed myself more.

‘I could have taken a step back, but you have to be true to yourself and do what you think is right. It’s a competitive environment and it’s hard work and you’re under pressure.

‘I’m one of these people that when I go in with something and I make a decision, I’m very much that when I’m in, I’m fully in. There’s no messing about and what you see is what you get.

‘This won’t be the end of Nadia Suliaman, I can tell you that.’

Nadia became an Internet meme after attempting to drive a hard bargain by offering £1.50 in a negotiation for a sheep’s fleece when the product usually costs £20.

During her time on the show, Nadia became a meme after attempting to drive a hard bargain by offering £1.50 in a negotiation for a sheep’s fleece when the product usually costs £20

She was compared to users on the resale app Vinted, who notoriously propose small amounts in exchange for secondhand items.

But Nadia said she’s relieved that the talked about moment made the show’s final edit or else she may have been forgotten about following her early departure.

Nadia said: ‘It’s gone viral. I am being compared to Vinted sellers. I love it. People know who I am and thank God. I would have been gutted if I did all of that and no one knew.

‘That is the way I genuinely do negotiations. When I learned negotiations in the corporate world, we learned gap negotiations, which was always done on a clock face.

‘In this situation, it was hard bargaining for me because we didn’t have much time, we were up against pressure, they always say in negotiations that when the other person puts their price on the table, which he had at £20, you put your price on the table the completely opposite end and then you meet in the middle and that’s what we did.

‘We had four minutes, I’m not going to build a relationship with this guy, ultimately it paid off because we got the item for £12.’

When asked if she would adopt a different tactic to remain in the process for longer if given the chance, Nadia replied: ‘No, it’s just not my personality.’

The Apprentice airs Thursdays on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.