Has Former Apprentice star James Max, finally found his calling - as a radio presenter?

Mr Max, 39, hosts two radio shows on LBC 97.3, and his Saturday morning breakfast show attracts 236,000 listeners each week - an increase of 39,000 new listeners over the past year. The station draws over a million weekly listeners overall.

He has been at the station for nearly four years. He tells People: "I have found the vocation that I really enjoy."

Did he take to it naturally? "I think it's like anything really, if you throw yourself into it. It doesn't just happen overnight. You have to work hard at it." He says he spent a lot of time doing air checks in the studio and improving his techniques. "You also learn just by being on air."

Does he not mind the early starts? "My friends always say to me: 'How on earth do you wake up at 4.30 on a Saturday morning?' But when the red light goes on I am having the time of my life."

Mr Max, who lives in Chelsea, west London, also presents the Sunday afternoon business and property show. "This has become increasingly popular. Suddenly, everyone wants to talk about business. We try to stay away from being a boring business show and deal with stuff that actually helps, such as where people should invest."

Before appearing in the first series of The Apprentice, Mr Max worked as an investment banker and a chartered surveyor. He still dabbles in property, appears as a commentator on GMTV and Sky News, and does regular podcasts.

He did a podcast during the last series of The Apprentice for Global Radio. Would he take part in The Apprentice now? No.