Gladiators champ: My strife over trophy lift
Crocked Finlay’s battle to lift gong
FINLAY Anderson says he was left so battered and bruised on his way to winning Gladiators that lifting the trophy made him ache.
The Army officer, 34, who suffered rib injuries in the quarter-final, groaned after the final: “I will say it’s pretty heavy and I’m pretty sore so it wasn’t easy to lift – but that’s going to be pride of place in the office or at home.”
Finlay, from Edinburgh, was hurt during The Edge challenge. He recalled: “I injured my ribs quite badly on that event so naturally I was cautious.
“The thought of a big old Gladiator falling on my ribs again was pretty nerve-racking but I had to go ahead.”
Fellow winner on Saturday’s show, Marie-louise Nicholson, 28, from Dublin, joked she has novel plans for her trophy. She said: “This old thing, might use it as my make-up mirror actually. This trophy is going to sit in my kitchen. I used to be a private chef so I love to be in kitchen, it’s my favourite thing.”
To reach the final, the contenders had to do battle against 16 Gladiators in tests of strength, speed and dexterity in the latest version of the programme, hosted by Bradley Walsh and son Barney.
Finlay said as a Crossfit fan, he most wanted to “excel” against Gladiator
Steel, a star of the fitness regime. “I’ve got so much respect for the Gladiators,” he said.
“They are all awesome athletes in their own right. It’s a real honour to have met with them and hung out with them backstage. If I had to pick one, my sport that I do most often is Crossfit so coming up against Steel, that was the one I really wanted to excel against.
“He’s a warrior gentleman, I really enjoyed competing against Steel.”
He said of his win: “It feels unreal, surreal, amazing, an absolute childhood dream come true.”
Personal trainer Marie-louise enjoyed coming up against Sabre.
“Me and Sabre had a bit of spice with each other,” she admits.
“We loved each other backstage but when we were on the stage Sabre played the game so well, oh my god she played it well.
“She’s a sweetheart behind the scenes but when she’s in her act of Sabre the spicy queen she is vicious and I absolutely loved it.”
Gladiators has been confirmed to return for a second series. The series was originally broadcast from 1992 to 2000 on ITV before being resurrected by Sky between 2008 and 2009.
The BBC began showing its first series earlier this year.