GLADIATORS RETURNS
Secrets of Gladiators revealed ahead of new series including marriage proposals, celebrity lookalikes & horror injuries
Sabre reveals how she has something she wants to prove this series
THE countdown is on for the Gladiators as the show makes its return on Saturday night.
The fiery line-up, completed by two fresh stars, will tackle explosive challenges as a new set of brave contenders brace themselves to go up against the super-human athletes – warning that it is going to be “tougher than ever”.
Here, the Gladiators tell Jess Lester behind-the-scenes gossip ahead of their return to BBC One.
SABRE
Weightlifter and CrossFit athlete
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SHE was injured during the last Gladiators series in a crash out on The Edge event.
But now Sabre is back, stronger than before, and determined to inspire the next generation of female athletes.
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Known for her impressive strength and long blonde locks, she wants to prove that you can have both beauty and brute strength as she returns to our screens.
Dundee girl Sabre, aka Sheli McCoy, 36, said: “I wanted to be a part of a force that led women into understanding their own power – that you can be fit and able, that you can have a six-pack, you can have bigger shoulders than your boyfriend.
“It’s important to continue the narrative that women can be unapologetically athletic, and they can still be feminine, and they can still wear dresses, and they can be pretty.
“I have a teddy bear, and I’m OK with that, because I could kill you with one punch.”
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Sabre started her sporting career as a weightlifter before finding a passion for CrossFit – a high-intensity training routine loved by Jason Statham, Henry Cavill and Channing Tatum among others.
She has since become her nation’s champion in both sports, which has only made her want to see more women involved in the two activities.
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She added: “Watching the original series of Gladiators, all these women were so unapologetically athletic, they won these games, they were celebrated for it.
“It wasn’t a taboo that women could be athletic and beat boys.
“I had never felt I was destined for any sort of TV limelight, but that is the main reason I said yes to the show.
“I felt like my calling was inspiring people, to educate a wider audience of women.”
She added: “We are all very lucky to have our groups of fans, who celebrate you. Then I also get some marriage proposals too.”
COMET
Fitness model, former elite gymnast
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THE Gladiators crew are well used to squeezing into their tight-fitting Lycra outfits.
And Comet thinks it’s about time father-and-son show hosts Bradley and Barney Walsh gave the athletes’ sporty suits a go and got stuck into the games too.
Comet, aka Ella-Mae Rayner, 29, a fitness model and former elite gymnast, said: “We’d get them suited up – Barney is really keen to do The Wall, he keeps saying it.”
In the last series, it was climbing the high wall which saw Comet wiped from the competition in a dramatic 30ft fall, breaking her ankle and foot and rupturing three ligaments in her leg.
Even so, it didn’t stop her returning to tackle the challenge that had previously caused her downfall, when filming for the first episode of the new series, which airs on Saturday at 5.50pm.
Comet added: “Gladiators is all about mental toughness, at the end of the day, and it’s a tough show.
“What you see happens out there in the arena is real.
“We’re not acting, we’re not doing WWE.
“Every contact is real, so injuries can happen to people.
“But I was driven to come back and be stronger because this job is amazing, and I want to use it to inspire people that if you face setbacks, it’s just a little temporary blip in the road.
“If your mind is in the right place, you can come back stronger.
“With it being the second series, the contenders are well prepared, but then so are we.
“We’ve had the experience of last season to know what we need to work on to become better, stronger and fitter.
“We’ve all gone away and done the work, we train hard.
“And the show is a lot more jam-packed, so it’s going to be a very good season.”
APOLLO
Ex-rugby & NFL player
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WITH his 6ft 6in frame, Apollo is the self-professed heartthrob of the show.
The former England Sevens rugby player and NFL star found himself with a new cult following in the last series, with fans mobbing him wherever he went.
He said: “It is what it is, it comes with the show.
“Obviously it’s all a bit new for me – I’ve been in some sort of spotlight before with the international rugby and the NFL, but that was minimal compared to what Gladiators brings.
“It’s a little strange, a little intense sometimes.
“I can’t share what kind of messages I get, and I’m not saying I’m the heartthrob of the show . . . but I am the heartthrob of the show.
“My DMs have never been so full.”
And it’s not just young fans who stop him in the street for photos.
He is now quite used to adults coming up for a selfie, often using their children as an excuse.
He said: “You do wonder if it’s just the adults who have forced their kids to come along to the show.”
The 33-year-old, real name Alex Gray, who played for clubs including Newcastle Falcons, London Irish and Bath, and was with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL, has been training hard in anticipation of the next band of competitors being stronger.
He said: “We’ve all been here for a year now, so the contenders are definitely more prepared.
“Everyone’s a bit battered and bruised, but we’re ploughing on.”
But being a Gladiator doesn’t mean Apollo always goes out into the ring set on destruction.
He said: “We’re trying to make the best show on TV, not trying to win an Olympic gold medal, so we’ve got to be competitive but we don’t want to hurt anyone.”
PHANTOM
Team GB Olympian & fitness model
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FITNESS fan Phantom is well used to being stopped on the street for a photo – but it is often a case of mistaken identity.
The 37-year-old sprinter, Team GB bobsleigher, and fitness model, real name Toby Olubi, said with a laugh: “I’m very used to people running at me and recognising me, but then asking if I’m Anthony Joshua. That happens a lot.
“When I shave my beard, people think I am him, and then they are a bit disappointed.
“I’m hoping that will change soon, and they will be calling him over, asking if he’s Phantom.
“Of course, I do have occasions when people come up to me as Phantom too, and that’s always nice when that happens, as I’m grateful to be here, and for the fans.”
He acknowledges that series two of the show has upped the ante in terms of competitiveness, and it means fans can expect lots of dramatic moments across the 12 episodes.
He added: “It’s a bit like a soap opera – you naturally get all of these scenarios because the contenders are coming for blood, and we’ve sort of got a house to protect, to make sure we’re seen as Gladiators.
“We can’t just let the contenders come in and beat us at our games, we’ve got to be ready.”
The show’s danger element, which last year saw Sabre and Comet quit due to injury, does not worry Phantom.
He said: “We’re very well versed when it comes to the risks of the events, and we’re always cautious of the ways we tackle contenders and try to make it as safe as possible for everyone.
“You can play any sport and there’s a risk factor, but this is harder than people think. It’s not a walk in the park.
“There’s a huge team backstage to ensure we do everything safely – and there are multiple ambulances just in case.”
MY TRIP TO THE LAND OF GIANTS
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THERE’S one thing that going to Sheffield’s Utilita Arena and facing the Gladiators has taught me . . .
It’s very easy for a 5ft 5in, averagely fit person to suddenly feel like a child in a supersized children’s play park.
But if it’s not the equipment that makes you feel small, it’s the Gladiators themselves.
I was lucky enough to be invited on a tour behind the scenes along-side the Gladiators as filming of the second series kicked off at the end of last summer.
I’ve always considered myself a mildly sporty person – something to do with my genetics made up of half bodybuilding world champion competitor (yes, you read that right – thanks, Mum) and half obsessive runner (thanks, Dad).
So did I think that attempting to swing a 5ft padded pole alongside Gladiators Dynamite and Diamond was going to be particularly strenuous for me? No.
Perhaps, looking back now, I was over confident.
I did just compare the set to a play park . . .
Even posing and having a few mock-up spars with these giants – who are, I should say, extremely gentle until the games begin and there’s an opportunity to win – was making me build up a sweat.
That could have been down to the fact I was surrounded, almost walled in, by tall, muscular bodies.
But then again, it’s more likely that to be cut out to compete alongside these chiselled specimens, you need to have a level of fitness I just don’t yet have.
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Gladiators, ready!
But competitors, best get training . . . and hard.
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