Donald Trump Celebrity Apprentice host return ruled out

Mr Trump hosted The Apprentice since 2003 and spin-off The Celebrity Apprentice since 2010

US TV network NBC has ruled out the possibility of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump returning to host The Celebrity Apprentice.

The network's entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said the show will not be back next season, but will return in the future with a new host.

The TV network cut ties with the veteran businessman in June over comments he made about immigrants.

Mr Trump has hosted The Celebrity Apprentice since 2010.

Before that he hosted The Apprentice from 2003.

'Great wall'

In June, NBC cancelled its broadcasts of Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants that are co-owned by Mr Trump.

Earlier that month, Mr Trump accused Mexicans of adding drugs and crime to the US as he announced he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

"They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists," he said.

He also pledged to build a "great wall" on the US border with Mexico and insisted it would be paid for by Mexicans.

Mr Trump later insisted he was criticising US lawmakers, not Mexican people.

NBC cancelled its broadcasts of Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants that are co-owned by Mr Trump

NBC faced pressure from Hispanic advocacy groups to drop Mr Trump's shows and a petition gathered more than 200,000 signatures.

Upon confirming that Mr Trump would not return as The Celebrity Apprentice host, Mr Greenblatt said he was "a lovely guy and "very much a collaborator and worked with us closely on Celebrity Apprentice".

"We weren't in any sort of adversarial position," he added.

Mr Greenblatt said that a number of people have expressed interest in taking over from Mr Trump and they would be open to a woman taking over.

Talk show host Leeza Gibbons won the most recent 7th edition of The Celebrity Apprentice in February.

Mr Trump is the frontrunner in the Republican race for US president in recent weeks, ahead of Jeb Bush and Scott Walker in the opinion polls.