Glamorous star of The Apprentice Jessica Cunningham’s ex and father of her three children is convicted fraudster
Alistair Eccles was part of an elaborate publishing scam and was given a suspended prison sentence
GLAMOROUS Apprentice contestant Jessica Cunningham is all laughs as she cracks several jokes in the show’s first episode next week.
But behind the humour she has a not-so-pleasant past.
I can reveal that the father of her three young children is a convicted criminal, who was once part of a gang of fraudsters who were jailed for 24 years.
Her former boyfriend Alistair Eccles, who she ran her first fashion business Famous Frocks with before it shut down last year, was arrested and handed a suspended prison sentence for his part in an elaborate scam in 2013.
He admitted money laundering before a judge at Preston Crown Court and was given a 15 month jail sentence.
Alistair, who Jessica has three daughters with, got the hefty punishment for playing a role in a publishing scam that saw victims all over Britain get scammed out of £740,000.
His cronies sold bogus adverts to unsuspecting businesses, and when they didn’t pay up Alistair’s accomplices sent gang members posing as bailiffs to their homes and businesses.
A source said: “LORD SUGAR and the Apprentice team do lots of background checks, but there are things that slip through the cracks.
“He won’t be hugely impressed to know that Jessica’s ex, and someone who she worked closely with on her business, was involved in a horrible scam.
When approached last night, Jessica didn’t want to comment on her ex.
In the first episode, which airs next Thursday, Jess proves to be one of the bubblier characters in the group.
In the first task the two teams have to sell antiques and see who makes the most profit and she repeatedly makes jokes about the price of her “jugs” to valuing experts.
She also keeps repeating a gag where she pretends to drop expensive items, much to the disdain of her team.
Lord Sugar doesn’t suffer fools on the show, and has been known to point his famous firing finger at people who get on his nerves.
If she starts any of her funny business in the boardroom she’ll be gone before she’s even started.
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