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Fired Apprentice contestant Simon reveals cocaine addiction

20/04/2008

Simon Smith, the latest contestant to be fired by Sir Alan Sugar, has revealed an addiction to cocaine destroyed his marriage.

The former non-commissioned officer in the British Army was shown the door on the BBC1 reality show after his team made a loss during a task selling portrait photography in a shopping centre.

And talking to the Sunday Mirror newspaper, the satellite television engineer has admitted that his struggles to cope with civilian life after nine years in the services led him into a destructive drug habit.

Smith, now a father-of-one, said his addiction went as far as indulging in cocaine abuse when he and his wife Debra went on their honeymoon to Jamaica in 2002.

"As soon as I got off the plane there were people offering me drugs. So I spent the whole holiday wasted," he continued.

"I left my wife in the room and sneaked out at night - on my f***ing honeymoon! Disgusting."

He added: "I blew over £20,000 on cocaine in five years. I was completely selfish. My whole life revolved around getting wrecked.

"The same competitive streak you saw in The Apprentice meant I felt I had to out-drink everyone, take more drugs than anyone else.

"I completely ripped my ex-wife's life apart. There is not a day goes by without me regretting how selfish I was. I broke her heart."

An early favourite to win the fourth series of The Apprentice, Smith was given his marching orders after his lack of business acumen was exposed when his team failed to gel while selling portrait photographs.