A Gladiators star had to pull out of the series reboot after a horrific accident shattered her bones.
The legendary gameshow returned last night (13 January) as the BBC revived the series from the 90s and 00s.
And viewers are absolutely loving it, as brave contenders took on the super strong, athletic Gladiators in various physical games.
The synopsis for this 2024 revival reads: “16 phenomenal Gladiators will compete in a series of brand new challenges alongside classic games against a brave set of contenders in the ultimate test of strength and speed in the most iconic sports entertainment gameshow returning to BBC One and BBC iPlayer.”
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Except one of those 16 Gladiators ended up having to pull out while filming the games at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield.
Ella-Mae Rayner goes by Comet in the show and told The Sun on Sunday how she shattered her ankle and foot in multiple places during filming back in June.
The former gymnast and cheerleader said: “It just goes to show that we aren’t acting. This isn’t WWE, this is one of the toughest shows on TV.
“The injury was really, really tough but I had the team around me and everyone was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better medical team.”
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Viewers won’t see Comet’s accident in the series, after she ruptured three ligaments and broke both her ankle and foot.
The 28-year-old ended up having an operation to stabilise the broken bones in her foot and is still undergoing physiotherapy now, seven months on since the accident.
Ella-Mae previously shared a photo from her hospital bed on Instagram with the caption: “Life is not about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you get hit and keep moving.”
The Gladiator added to The Sun on Sunday: “I am nearly there but it is always going to be an injury I know about.
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“But it is not going to stop me doing what I want to do. You are going face to face and it is contact, so injuries are part and parcel of it. Comet is here to stay.”
As the new series premiered on BBC One last night, with father-and-son hosts Bradley and Barney Walsh, viewers praised it as ‘epic’.
One wrote: “HIGH CAMP, HOMOEROTIC, NO NOTES. SATURDAY NIGHT TELE IS SO BACK!”
And another summed up: “Used to watch the original. Thought this would be the worst with how some media talked about it. Nah am watching and feeling like a kid again.”
Topics: TV and Film, Health, BBC
Jess Battison