NEWS | CANDIDATES | PICS | STORY TO SELL? | APPRENTICE 2007

Mike was a real pro!

Star had sex for cash

By Phil Taylor & Dan Wootton

APPRENTICE star Michael Sophocles used to be a £50-an-hour male ESCORT.

The dark-haired charmer took money to have sex with women so he wouldn't have to scrimp his way through university.

Telesales executive Michael can now be seen trying to avoid Sir Alan Sugar's famous catchprase "You're fired!" on the hit BBC show.

But as a student he was more used to getting his customers all fired up.

A pal told us: "Michael has three obsessions in his life-money, sex and women. This combined all three."

Michael, 25, launched his sideline during his final year at Edinburgh University where he studied history and classics.

Boyish

He heard there was a shortage of clean-cut, intelligent gigolos in Scotland so he joined an agency. Normal escort work paid him £50-an-hour but if he had sex with the customers he got extra.

The friend explained: "On the few occasions things got physical with clients Michael was paid more-about £100 an hour. There was no way he was going to live like a pauper at uni.

"He was a good-looking young fella. Women loved his boyish features. He went on lots of dates and was raking it in.

"Most were with older women-divorcees looking for a bit of fun. Plus there were some younger, not very attractive women who struggled to meet men."

The pal went on: "He made no secret of his involvement as an escort. Michael was also dating students at the same time so he had one hell of a time at university."

Before becoming an escort he lived in shabby student digs and scraped a living working part-time in Edinburgh's trendy Liquid Rooms bar.

Former boss Sarah David, 31, recalled: "Michael was a live-wire and super-confident-and he was very keen on the ladies too!"

The exec, from Edgware, North London, has already made his mark on the fourth series of The Apprentice, which started this week as a record 6.4million viewers tuned in to watch the contestants sell fish.

He lists women, drinking and gambling as his passions, claims to earn an "astronomical" amount of money and boasts: "I am an exceptional individual. I am an exhibitionist, I am fearless, I want money and I am unscrupulous."

An insider said: "Michael is one of the biggest stars of the show. He quickly catches Sir Alan's eye and he's going to take no prisoners in his fight to become The Apprentice."

A show spokesman said: "We can confirm that Michael Sophocles did work as an escort while he was at university."

So he's quite at home in the bawdroom then!

WERE you one of Michael's clients or have you got a story about one of the Apprentice stars? Call 0207 782 1001, text 63300 or email features@notw.co.uk.