A former contestant on the US version of The Apprentice is suing President-elect Donald Trump for defamation.

Summer Zervos filed the lawsuit on Tuesday demanding that the president-elect "vindicate her reputation" by admitting the allegations are true. The allegations relate to claims he groped and aggressively kissed her and then called her a liar.

During a visit to Mr Trump’s office in December 2007, Ms Zervos alleged that he kissed her twice on the mouth without her consent. He allegedly went further during a meeting at his bungalow in a Beverly Hills hotel, forcibly kissing, embracing and pressing his genitals against her.

The announcement comes ahead of Mr Trump's inauguration on Friday.

"I want Mr Trump to know that I would still be willing to dismiss my case against him immediately for no monetary compensation if he will simply retract his false and defamatory statements about me and acknowledge that I told the truth about him," Ms Zervos told reporters, reading from a brief statement.

The full 20-page suit calls him "a sexual predator and misogynist who assaulted many women and then abused his political platform to brand them liars".

"But it was Donald Trump who was lying when falsely denied his predatory misconduct with Summer Zervos, and derided her for perpetrating a ‘hoax’ and making up a 'phoney' story to get attention," it said.

Ms Zervos said she will also be joining the women's march on Washington on Saturday - a day after the incoming commander-in-chief is sworn in.

Speaking to The Guardian, spokesperson for Mr Trump Hope Hicks, told the publication via email: "There is no truth to this absurd story."

Ms Zervos appeared on the fifth series of the reality show previously hosted by Mr Trump, in the hopes of running her own restaurant.