I bonked 'Dawn French with a tache'

OUTRAGEOUS Apprentice star Michael Sophocles last night told how he fantasised about CHERYL COLE-as he bedded a fat, hairy 48-year-old mum to earn £100.

Watch video of Michael Sophocles confessing to his debauched past

Watch video of Michael Sophocles describing life in The Apprentice

Speaking for the first time about his sordid past as a male PROSTITUTE and GAMBLING ADDICT, the cocky star recalled: "I couldn't believe what I was doing.

"I was having sex with a size-20 lady who looked like Dawn French with a moustache-and I was young enough to be her SON.

"So I closed my eyes and thought of Cheryl Cole then every other member of Girls Aloud in an orgy. That's what kept me going."

In an exclusive interview with the News of the World, Michael-who stabbed teammates in the back to win boardroom reprieves from Sir Alan Sugar but was fired from the BBC1 show last week-also confessed to:

STEALING hundreds of pounds from his flatmate and running up £16,000 of gambling debts;

BONKING a client four times in a night while dosed up on VIAGRA;

ROMPING with a married woman in a men's TOILET and

USING his celeb status to date as many women as possible, including pretty new singer Katie Vogel.

His seedy story is a far cry from the "good Jewish boy" he claimed to be on his Apprentice CV.

It was when he was studying classics at Edinburgh University that he spiralled out of control. He hated college life and would skip lectures, spending his nights boozed up at strip clubs.

Then, at the beginning of his final year, a pretty American girl he was dating took him to a casino.

Weird

Michael recalled: "I had no idea what I was doing but I was trying to impress this girl and I ended up winning £50. A weird sensation came over me-I was getting sexually excited from the GAMBLING.

"I started going more and more and within two weeks I was gambling £300 a day-all I could withdraw from my bank account.

"I would be there for 14 hours a day. I wouldn't even eat. I'd wake up at 2pm and head to the casino."

After three months Michael was broke. So he started thieving from his flatmate-and made the drastic decision to become a hooker.

He said: "I was looking through a dirty magazine in bed and I saw ads for escort agencies. I called one and they wanted a £100 joining fee.

"I stole the money from a jar in my flatmate's room and I never gave it back to him. It wasn't the only occasion I thieved from him."

Michael became a £50-an-hour escort, taking women on dates set up by the agency. The company does not offer sex services-but he was soon earning lucrative overtime between the sheets.

FLING: Michael & co-star Lindi

His first date was a woman of 37. He said: "She was so gaunt and had a massive nose. We went for a drink and I knew she was up for it. But I didn't sleep with her because she was so hideous."

A few days later he was booked by a sexy 26-year-old clerical worker who'd just been dumped by her boyfriend.

And that night Michael used Viagra-which a pal had given him a few days earlier to try out-for the first time.

He said: "The girl was a nymphomaniac. We went for dinner and she made it clear she wanted me, and paid for a cab to a hotel. I happened to have the Viagra on me and I thought, why not?

"It was the best sex I've ever had. I performed like a machine. My heart was pumping so hard, and I'd never been on such good form.

"I went at it four times. She was in control and kept telling me if I did things wrong. That's how you should have sex."

Michael left in the early hours without saying bye. "I didn't feel bad about it because that's what you're supposed to do," he said.

"But the sad thing was that I was really lonely and wanted to see her again, not as an escort. I called her and she rejected me."

Michael's next customer was the married Dawn French lookalike. He said: "We went to the dogs and I thought she was going to give me the £50 and clear off.

"But she said, 'I'd quite like to have sex now.' I said 'yes' straight away, that's how desperate for money I was.

Horrific

"We went to a Travelodge, and she asked to have a dance. Kokomo by the Beach Boys was playing in the background. Then I just thought, 'I'm going to go for this.'

ON A TV TASK: With Claire and Helene before he was fired

"It was the worst sex I've had in my life. But I'm good at feigning passion.

"Halfway through I thought, 'This is horrific, I'm sleeping with a heifer.' So I closed my eyes and thought about Girls Aloud. We only had sex once but she wanted me to stay until 5pm the next day. I got paid £380 and went to the casino and blew the lot."

Michael escorted a string of other women but was only paid for sex once again-by an attractive, married, middle-class woman of 33. He recalled: "We went to a restaurant and there was an awkward moment when the waitress asked, 'What would your mum like for dessert?'"

But they didn't order anything-and had afters in the gents toilets. Michael said: "It was a quickie. We weren't caught and she paid me £100 extra."

The escort agency discovered he had been sleeping with clients and sacked him. Soon afterwards he had a breakdown over his gambling. By then he had debts of £16,000, which he is still paying off now. He said: "I saw a sign about gambling addiction in a casino and I had all the traits. That's when it hit me I was an addict. I went to my flat, drank a bottle of vodka, smashed up plates and remember waking up on the floor. I decided, 'Once I've done my last exam I'm going to get out of this city.' I turned my life around the day I got on the train to come back to London."

The following month, in June 2005, Michael started his current job. He now earns £120,000 a year as a telesales exec. He is also seeing singer Katie, 20. He said: "We have been dating, but there have been other women over the last few weeks as well.

"I'm a sex addict. I just love women. I've slept with over 70 but I've only had two girlfriends, and I haven't been in love. When I'm with someone I always see other women who I want to sleep with.

"It's great-I can now just go up to someone and not have to make any small-talk. They'll just jump into bed with me."