What was Lottie Lion’s ‘racist comment’ to Lubna Farhan on The Apprentice?

CONTROVERSIAL Apprentice star Lottie Lion has divided viewers since appearing on the hit BBC show.

And now she's landed herself in trouble after a reported 'racist comment' levelled at one of her co-stars was revealed by The Sun. Here's what you need to know...

What was Lottie Lion's 'racist comment' to Lubna Farhan on The Apprentice?

On October 5, 2019 The Sun On Sunday exclusively revealed how the 19-year-old told Lubna, 33 - whose parents are Pakistani - "Shut up, Gandhi", in a WhatsApp group for the contestants.

Posh Lottie warned Apprentice rival Lubna Farhan she would knock her out as tensions spilled over in a WhatsApp chat. The librarian told Lubna: “I’ll f*** you up” and vowed: “Uppercut to the jaw and she’s sorted”.

Millions saw Lottie, 19, and Lubna, 33, in a fiery exchange when the BBC1 series returned.

And we can reveal they clashed on a candidates’ group chat set up after filming for the pre-recorded shows had ended.

One row started after Lottie allegedly told others she had never spoken to a black person before.

Finance manager Lubna then posted a pic she apparently found on social media of Lottie with a pal.

She wrote: “I thought she said she never met ‘a black person’?”

Lottie hit back: “Seriously f*** off Lubna before I f****** knock you out at our press training.”

A friend of a candidate found the comment racist and alerted The Sun on Sunday.

They said: “Lottie and Lubna did not get on but this was shocking. It was clearly a racist remark. No one said anything including Lubna, who ignored it and rose above it. But it is a pretty stupid thing to say on a group chat. It is way below the belt.”

What have the other contestants said about the racist comment?

Following the reports, Lottie was quick to deny accusations of being racist, tweeting:

"Do not believe everything you read online.

“Utterly disgusting & untrue articles published by the Sun designed to ruin my career. It is desperate what some people will say for a bit of money.

“Racism is unacceptable but so is false news. I won’t be entertaining this further.”

After her tweet, Lottie also told The Sun: “When I said the story was untrue, I was referring to the allegations that I would ever be racist.

“My use of the word Gandhi was misinterpreted, it was as candidates in the group chat had been quoting Gandhi previously.

“The comments were taken out of context, and I again ask the public not to make judgement without knowing the full context.

“At the moment, I would like my focus to be on the show, and I’m not interested in negative media attention.”

Following her tweet, another contestant, Souleyman Bah, rubbished her denials.

He also took to social media to write: “Of course it’s true, I watched as you posted that message and felt so disgusted at how you could be so blatantly racist towards Lubna and also the comment about black people is subtlety showing off that you’re so posh you don’t mix with people like us (And no I wasn’t the source).”

And on October 10, 2019,  Kenna Ngoma exclusively spoke to The Sun where he commented on the row, saying:

"It's a racist comment, but you can't judge someone as a racist without knowing their intentions.

"But I don't know if she's racist or just misinformed, it's in that space. It's a racist comment. No one can dispute that.

"If you say, like, "Oh it's taken out of context" - it's not taken out of context. It's misinformed/racist. In that space."

Who is The Apprentice's Lottie Lion?

Lottie Lion, 19, is a librarian from Somerset who insists she's no pushover.

The budding businesswoman claims she can be "very cut throat" and believes that her "powers of persuasion" are her best quality.

She says: "I bring 'class' to everything and ensure nothing I do is half-standard or tacky."

Apart from her job, the contestant is a fan of countryside activities such as horse riding and shooting.