A HOPEFUL from the new Apprentice series blows out a plume of smoke after taking a drag on a suspicious looking roll-up.
Jordan Dargan, 22, is seen taking a puff on the fag in a video posted by pals to his social media.
It was filmed in 2023, before he applied to the BBC One show and ahead of his move to London to start his own 3D animation firm.
The two-second clip, deleted from his Instagram page after The Sun approached him, was missed by producers during the vetting process undergone by the show’s chosen final applicants.
Jordan, this year’s youngest candidate, said: “This is from a video when I was just 19.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved since then as a creative professional and I’m focused on continuing to grow my 3D animation studio.
“I’m looking forward to my time on The Apprentice, and I want to show young people that you can make something of yourself.”
A representative for The Apprentice said: “This is a business show and once again we have 18 candidates, all serious professionals committed to growing and expanding their businesses throughout the process.”
Jordan, from Dublin, will make his first appearance in Lord Alan Sugar’s boardroom when the new series starts on Thursday.
He previously said: “As a kid, I’d sit with my mum watching The Apprentice every week, imagining myself in that boardroom.
“From the age of seven, I always knew this was a goal I would make into existence.
“Fifteen years later, I’m proudly standing as a candidate on series 19. I’m here to prove that age is just a number.”
British business magnate and star of The Apprentice Lord Alan Sugar[/caption]
