Gladiator Fire hopes she can inspire girls to pursue a career in athletics and not shy away from having a muscular physique.
Montell Douglas, 37, from London, wants to encourage women of all ages to showcase their fitness ability after watching the original Gladiators as a child motivated her to become the first female in her local football team.
And it was playing football that Fire discovered her running potential, competing in athletics at secondary school before representing Team GB in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
She is the former British record holder for the 100 metres at 11.05 seconds and made sporting history in 2022 after becoming the first female UK athlete to compete at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
But even Fire, who says she was born to be a Gladiator, admits competing on the BBC show was the equivalent of doing multiple heptathlons.
Gladiator Fire hopes she can inspire girls to pursue a career in athletics and not shy away from having a muscular physique
Montell Douglas wants to encourage women to showcase their fitness ability after watching the original Gladiators as a child motivated her to become the first female in her football team
It was playing football that Fire discovered her running potential, competing in athletics at secondary school before representing Team GB in the 2008 Summer Olympics
She told MailOnline: ‘Being a female athlete, Gladiators has always been a platform for women that look a certain way physically, but they can be who they are and inspire young girls like me.
‘I used to watch the show and was probably six when it first came out and I was that young girl looking at these amazing women showcasing their athletic ability but having fun and the best time.
‘To be that inspiration, this is a time where fitness is hugely on the agenda for everyone in the world, we want to keep young people active, but we also want to have representation and see people that look like them. We are essentially like superheroes to them.
‘And it doesn’t have to stop at young people, I want my age to show that you can adapt any time, there’s always time to make a chance no matter what age you are. I want people to feel inspired to do something new.’
Competing among 15 other athletes including Giant, Electro and Bionic on Gladiators, which was prerecorded in the summer, Fire says filming the BBC reboot was challenging because the live studio audience added an element of pressure.
She said: ‘The show for me was like doing multiple heptathlons in the Olympic Games because the tension was always high, and you had to bring it every time.
‘With the new series, the one thing that is really special about it… this is 30 years in the maker, me watching the show as a six-year-old to actually being a Gladiator is a moment, is it a story.
‘We have people that watched the first time around who can now show their children. There aren’t many shows that you can watch with your families that bring you together, it’s going to be nostalgic.’
She is the former British record holder for the 100 metres at 11.05 seconds and made sporting history in 2022 after becoming the first female UK athlete to compete at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games
After over two decades competing in a variety of sports including bobsledding, Fire says that she didn’t need to train ahead of the Gladiators games and that her physical capabilities are now installed into her body
She’s been a fierce and powerful competitor her entire sporting career, challenging herself to do as many different athletic challenges as possible, including high jump, which perfectly suited her as a 5ft8 11-year-old
In the 90s, the famous cast of the Gladiators became as well known for their romances as their physical prowess.
Diane Youdale, who played Jet, was in a relationship with James Crossley, aka Hunter, before the bodybuilder moved onto host Ulrika Jonsson.
But Fire claims there have been no flings in the new cast and that the Gladiators see themselves a ‘big family.’
She said: ‘We are like a massive family and a big team. We have each other’s backs and going through the same experience together.
‘Being a Gladiator is no small feat, it is something you have inside of you, and I love that we can lean into each other if we have had a tough day.
‘I am really happy that we all get along, are always speaking to each other, but getting 16 Gladiators together is nearly impossible.’
Gladiators’ bosses were on the mark when they cast Montell as Fire for the new show.
She’s been a fierce and powerful competitor her entire sporting career, challenging herself to do as many different athletic challenges as possible, including high jump, which perfectly suited her as a 5ft8 11-year-old.
After over two decades competing in a variety of sports including bobsledding, Fire says that she didn’t need to train ahead of the Gladiators games and that her physical capabilities are now installed into her body.
She said: ‘I am a complete sports fanatic.
‘I was 10 years old when I started football, I was in an all-boys football team and that was the first time I had competitions outside of school. I became national champion at 16 in both sprint events, so 100m and 200m.
‘I found out I was pretty good at jumping over a bar, I was an absolute giant and that helped with what I could achieve.
‘I had the opportunity to transfer into a winter sport in the back end of my career, so it has been a full stint… I have done my time.
‘Training for the Gladiators, I got to do all the fun sides, you have to be an all-rounder and transfer your skill set to the arena. I have trained for 20 years.
‘My body knows what training is, but it needs high quality recovery because what happens as you get older is you’re still able to produce but you need to know what works for your body.’
- Gladiators launches on BBC One at 5:50pm on Saturday January 13
