Gladiators viewers declare ‘show is ruined’ after fan favourite is forced to quit the competition after suffering painful injury

After smashing back onto screens last year followed by a celeb special, the iconic series is back for a second series.   

The show, which originally aired on ITV from 1992 to 2000, returns with Bradley and son Barney hosting, with a new pair of Gladiators joining the ranks.

The fearsome group includes trained rugby players, accomplished swimmers, sprinters and powerlifters as well as a former Premier League referee.

Here are the Gladiators: 

Fire

Blazing back into the Gladiators stadium like a flash is Montell Douglas. She’s fierce and will burn through the arena destroying anyone who gets in her way, earning her the name Fire. 

Following her success on the show she also joined the cast of Strictly Come Dancing where she competed alongside pro Johannes Radebe.

Former Team GB Sprinter and Olympic Bobsledder, she held the British woman’s record for fastest 100m sprint at 11.05 seconds, smashing the previous record which had stood unbeaten for 27 years.

In January 2022, Montell made sporting history to become the first female UK athlete to compete at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

In 2010, Montell won Commonwealth Gold in the 4x100m relay race in Delhi – and holds a European Under-23 Silver Medal in 100m.

Montell moved into bobsledding in 2016, and the following year finished within the Top 10 at her World Cup debut. 

Bionic

At a towering 6ft 6in it’s somewhat inevitable that bodybuilder Matty Campbell is back as Bionic.

As a child he used to sprint and play football, reaching Academy Level, but a car accident curtailed his professional ambitions. It was his subsequent rehabilitation that led him to finding an alternative outlet in the gym.

Despite having never previously been a regular visitor to the gym, he found that he had a natural ability and quickly started gaining muscle-mass, leading to his eventual love of bodybuilding.

Electro

Jade Packer, aka Electro, is a quick, unstoppable and the perfect mix of strength, speed and skill.

As a sprinter she ranked amongst the Top 10 Fastest Runners in the UK aged 12 for 150m and she went onto to race for titles at various championships over the 100m and 200m.

Her bodybuilding journey began at the age of 18 after she discovered the sport on social media platform Instagram, and her subsequent dedication to training won her 4 x Top 3 UKBFF Placings in the Wellness Category, an invite to compete at the Arnold Classic and an IFBB Elite Pro Card by taking Gold at the English Grand Prix.

After training for only a year before her first show, she became an instant sensation and went on to represent the UK in both Barcelona and Madrid throughout her two seasons. 

Nitro 

Also back to battle it out is Nitro, who is former team GB sprinter called Harry Aikines Aryeetey. Commonwealth and World gold medallist sprinter, Harry’s lightning fast speed and ‘ball of energy’ personality earned him the name Nitro. 

He won legions of fans during the show’s first series before going on to appear in last year’s Strictly Christmas special alongside Nancy Xu.  

The athlete has competed at the highest level in the UK since his youth. After becoming the first athlete to win gold medals at both 100 and 200 metres at the World Youth Championships, he won 2005 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year age 17.

Harry has gone on to win gold 4 x in the men’s 100m European Championships and at the Commonwealth Games.

The fitness fanatic – who shares a two-year old daughter named Aubreé-Isla with his partner – regularly posts insights into his grueling training routine.

On taking part in the show, Nitro said: ‘Becoming a Gladiator is another great achievement!

‘A childhood dream come true! You never know what is coming in life, each day is there to be enjoyed and savouring all opportunities is a must!

‘It literally gives me energy and strength! I can’t wait to be in the arena and bring Nitro to Gladiators!’

Phantom

Toby Olubi, aka Phantom, was part of the Team GB Bobsleigh team and competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

In the same season, he and his team broke the world record for the fastest ever bobsleigh at 97 mph. They also made history by bringing home Great Britain’s first-ever gold medal in the 2018 Whistler World Cup.

He has also been a sprinter a domestic level and has won the county championship for the UK men’s 60m sprints and has frequently competed in the British men’s 100m sprint Olympic qualifying championships. 

Additionally, the fitness nut has also won the title of fastest Bobsledder in the UK push championships for four consecutive years from 2015 to 2019.

Viper

Quang Luong, aka Viper, is returning and like Wolf before him in the original series is the show’s resident villain.  

A fitness model and practicing boxer, he’s often been cast in films in powerful roles, even appearing in a James Bond film as a gangster. Alongside his power and precision he’s looking to devour his competitors.

He said: ‘I was born to be a Gladiator. I am strong, powerful and just like a Viper I can attack with speed.’ 

Athena

A combination of brain, brawn and beauty, Karenjeet Kaur Bains gets her moniker from the Ancient Greek Goddess of War and Wisdom, Athena.

Representing Team GB, she is a winner of three Gold and two Silver Commonwealth Powerlifting medals. 

She’s also the five time All England Powerlifting Champion and five time British Powerlifting Champion and represented Great Britain at the World and European Championships.

Additionally, she holds the Guinness World Record for the “Most Bodyweight Squats in a minute”… oh, and did we mention she’s also a Chartered Accountant!

Very proud of her South Asian heritage, she makes show history as the first Sikh Gladiator and wants to inspire people of all ethnic backgrounds to achieve their full potential.

Comet

A former elite gymnast, Ella-Mae Rayner moved into semi-professional in diving before embarking on a degree in Sport Science. 

At university she successfully coached and competed in University Cheerleading Championships, but it was a career changing ankle injury that led to a newfound love of the gym. 

She now trains six times a week while also working as a Fitness Model & Coach. 

Sabre

Fierce, powerful and agile; these are the main attributes of Sabre. 

Sheli McCoy describes herself as a ‘grafter’ and trains 16-19 hours per week. 

She has competed in 5 British Weightlifting Championships events and numerous CrossFit championships all over the world and has simultaneously been Scottish champion in both sports. 

Sabre runs her own gym in Dundee, hoping to inspire future generations to reach their full fitness potential.

She has nearly 100,000 followers and loves to post videos of her workouts whether it be lifting heavy weights, doing pull ups from the bar or upside down handstands.  

Apollo 

With the speed of a rocket, it’s no surprise Alex Gray has earned the name Apollo.

He started his career playing rugby under 16s and moved onto the Premiership and then England 7s team. ​ He captained English Rugby teams for 16s, 18s and 20s.​

He was scouted to go to NFL for his skillset, making him the first British rugby player to transfer over to the NFL. ​ 

Signed for Atlantic Falcons and then became the first international player to Captain an NFL team.​

Apollo wants to win and won’t stop until he does. Don’t be fooled by his smile and charm, if you’re in his way he’ll take you down.

Dynamite  

Small, explosive and dangerous, just like Dynamite, 20-year-old, Emily Steel, is the youngest Gladiator in the current line-up.

With a background in swimming competing at a national level until she was 15 years old, she’s now a full-time elite CrossFit athlete, also juggling second year studies full time at university in sport and exercise science. 

Emily boasts 7,000 Instagram followers and regularly shares snaps of herself weightlifting.  

Dynamite also competed internationally at one of the largest fitness festivals in the world and becoming an under 23’s weightlifting British record holder.

Diamond  

Dazzling her way into the Gladiators stadium is Livi Sheldon. She is a 6ft bodybuilder, with her striking looks and indestructible natural earning her the name, Diamond.

After graduating with a degree in Sports Science, Livi took up bodybuilding, becoming a British Finalist ‘England Toned Figure’.

Her passion for sports began at age 6, when she played football for a boys football team. She eventually moved over to a girls’ team, where she became captain for many years, and went on to play for Worcester City Ladies team.

However, don’t be deceived by Diamond’s bright beauty, she is unbreakable and super strong.

Livi – who regularly shares fitness tips on social media – is in a relationship with men’s lifestyle coach Grant Gibbs. 

Giant  

Giant is a former firefighter turned bodybuilder called Jamie Christian Johal who stands at a whopping 6ft 5inches tall.

During last year’s show he caused controversy after he admitted to taking steroids in resurfaced YouTube videos.

The ex-professional bodybuilder – who said he no longer uses steroids – reportedly boasted about his ‘phenomenal gains’ in online videos, with one said to be titled ‘Take this and you will get big’.

In one YouTube video, Giant reportedly declared that he ‘didn’t start taking steroids until I was 24 years old’.

However, the former fireman said he no longer takes steroids after ‘responsibly’ coming off them in late 2022 – when he stopped competing as a bodybuilder – and insisted he doesn’t advocate the use of them.

Fury

Jodie Ounsley AKA fury is a  Exeter Chiefs rugby player, 23, who has been deaf from birth and wears a cochlear implant.

In December 2023, Jodie broke down in tears as she tried ‘life-changing’ new technology ahead of her first appearance on the rebooted TV show.

She became emotional as she put on glasses which allow deaf people to ‘see’ conversations for the first time, developed by British start-up XRAI Glass.

She then told XRAI Glass’s co-founder Mitchell Feldman: ‘That’s pretty amazing… As much as I love to embrace my deafness and be positive about it, it’s a really isolating place at times.

‘You miss out on a lot and it’s a mental journey trying to lip read. Something like this could really make it so much easier.’

Steel

Zack George is back as Steel. 

He was named as champion in UK CrossFit in 2020 and will be showcasing his athleticism further on Gladiators.

Zack underwent a fitness transformation after admitting he lead an ‘unhealthy lifestyle’ in his youth. 

Cyclone

New to the line-up for the show’s second series is Irish powerlifter Cyclone, 23, whose real name is Lystus Ebosele.

Following the announcement she said: ‘I’ve got the look, I’ve got the energy and I’ve got the muscles.’ 

She regularly shares videos from her workouts, as well as glam shots on her profile. 

BBC Gladiators official Instagram page shared a snap of her promo shot with the caption: ‘There’s a Cyclone coming… 

‘Cyclone is a whirlwind of destruction that will blow away the competition. Strong, determined and with awesome power, nothing will get in her way.’ 

Hammer

Meanwhile Tom Wilson, from Nottingham, has joined the cast as Hammer.

The 32-year-old is a world rowing champion ready to show everyone what he’s made of. 

Gladiator’s BBC Instagram page shared: ‘RAAARGH!

‘Feel the unstoppable force of Hammer, on a mission to crush anything and anyone in his path. 

‘Hammer is a combination of height, strength and speed, ready to shake the arena to its foundations… Contenders, beware!’

His personal Instagram bio states that he’s a personal trainer and gold medal British Champion for rowing.