WALSHES RUN
THE GLADIATORS
It was hard work dealing with the Gladiators but it was all in good fun
BRADLEY WALSH On keeping the show’s stars in check
APOLLO (Alex Gray): A 6ft 6in former NFL star from County Durham who can jump 2.8m from standing. He says: “Apollo is like Superman, but with a sense of humour. Big and fast, like a rocket, and hotter than the sun.” ATHENA (Karenjeet Kaur Bains): Powerlifter, from Warwickshire, can deadlift almost three times her own weight. She says: “It doesn’t matter where you start in life, it matters where you finish, so keep going.”
LEGEND (Matt Morsia): Modest Matt, from Surrey, can triple jump over 50ft and says: “I chose the name Legend because The Most Attractive Gladiator in the World was too long a name.”
NITRO (Harry Aikines-aryeetey): Former Team GB sprinter from London says: “We’ve got genetic gifts that allow us to be superhuman. My mum always told me, ‘Be your biggest fan’. And that’s what I am. I’m a demi-god.”
STEEL (Zack George): Zack, from Leics, who trains four hours a day, six days a week, says: “I’m the Mr Nice Guy. Superfriendly. But in the games I hit really hard. So they should be scared.”
COMET (Ella-mae Raynor): Ella-mae, from Herts, has been a gymnast since the age of five. She says: “Comet is feminine; she is a perfectionist, very poised, and very elegant.”
DIAMOND (Livi Sheldon): Bodybuilder from Worcestershire says: “I feel becoming a Gladiator is something I’ve been training for my whole life.” DYNAMITE (Emily Steel): The youngest Gladiator at just 20. Was taking her university finals during filming. Emily, from Manchester, says: “It was fine. I got a 2:1.” PHANTOM (Toby Olubi): Toby, 6ft 4in from London, part of the bobsleigh team in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Says: “Where’s Giant? I’m taller than him. And he wears in-soles in his shoes as well!” ELECTRO (Jade Packer): Inspired by Storm from X-men, Jade, from Essex, says: “I feel like the Gladiators all look very different to the originals in terms of representation and having different stories . FIRE (Montell Douglas): Londoner, a former Team GB sprinter who can run 100m in 11secs. She says: “Fire is a fireball, a firecracker. She is a bundle of laughs and fierceness.”
FURY (Jodie Ounsley): Jodie, from
West Yorkshire, is the first deaf Gladiator and wears a cochlear implant. She says: “I have that chance to show the younger generation that you might have a disability but you can also be a bad-ass.” BIONIC (Matty Campbell): Ex-footballer Matty, from Middlesbrough, eats seven times a day even waking up in the night to snack. He says: “Bionic is a machine.” GIANT (Jamie Christian-johal): 6ft 5in, from Derbys, eats more than 10,000 calories a day. Says: “When I was competing on Duel I spotted Saracen, one of the original Gladiators, staring at me. SABRE (Sheli Mccoy): Sheli, from Dundee, can deadlift 160kg and says: “I trust my body and I know what my ability is, based on 10 years of training.” VIPER (Quang Luong): Considers himself a bigger and stronger version of Kung Fu hero Bruce Lee. Says: “Viper is mean, moody, sneaky and powerful.”