COCKY entrepreneur Stuart Baggs has finally been given his marching orders from The Apprentice - and an annoyed Lord Sugar admitted he should have been fired long ago.

Baggs - who called himself “The brand” - was axed in tonight’s semi-final along with Jamie Lester and Joanna Riley.

Stella English and Chris Bates will now battle it out in Sunday night’s final for a job with the Amstrad boss.

The three eliminated contestants were dropped after the gruelling interview stage of the BBC1 contest, which saw the return of long-time Sugar aide Margaret Mountford.

And as Lord Sugar fired Baggs, 21, he told him: ”I don’t believe a word you say. I’m annoyed with myself Stuart that you have been allowed to come this far in the process.”

Afterwards Baggs said: “I’m feeling gutted naturally. I thought I was the perfect candidate for the job.

“The dramatic way in which I’ve been fired is completely unfair. I think everyone has a lack of understanding of what I’m really about.”

Lester, a 28-year-old property developer, said he had no regrets.

He added: “I went into the show promising to be how I am. And if I’m passionate about something, if I don’t agree with it, I’ll show them.”

Riley, 25, said she was pleased to have reached the semi-finals, and felt she had left on a high.

“They didn’t criticise me and that meant so much to me,” she explained.

“On The Apprentice on the first week everyone was raving on about how aggressive I am and sometimes I think that can be mistaken for me being quite upfront and honest.

“Because I was so honest and so out there people perceived that to be aggressive and maybe because I’ve got quite a loud voice as well and that’s so not the person I am.

- The two-hour long final of the series will be screened on Sunday on BBC1 from 9pm.