Gladiators thrown into chaos as four stars injured while filming new series
Filming for the new series of Gladiators has been thrown into chaos after a handful of stars were injured on the set. The latest batch of episodes for the BBC programme, which was revived in 2024 with father-and-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh at the helm, is currently in production but things have not gone entirely to plan.
Legend, Bionic, Diamond and Athena are the four stars of the series that have been landed with injuries. Legend, whose real name is Matt Morsia, tore a bicep, whilst Matty Campbell, who is better known to fans as Bionic, has dislocated his shoulder. Livi Sheldon, whose Gladiators alter-ego is Diamond, ruptured the ACL and MCL in her knee. As well as all that, Athena, whose real name is Karenjeet Kaur Bains, smashed her knee.
Speaking about the incidents, a source told The Sun: "Gladiators is the ultimate test of speed, strength and endurance - and four of its champions have paid the price. It just goes to show that these games are tough and even our professionals can suffer injuries!" It comes as ITV axes Noel Edmonds' big TV comeback after just one series.
READ MORE: Final Strictly Come Dancing star announced as fans fume over 'underwhelming' line-up
According to the outlet, all of the injuries were sustained at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield whilst cameras were rolling for the next series of the programme. But despite the individual ordeals, it has been claimed that all the stars will feature when the show goes to air later this year, and they will also all be taking part in the live tour when that hits the road this autumn.
But this is not the first time that the stars have suffered such injuries, as fans will remember that Comet, real name Ella-Mae Rayner, broke her ankle and had to undergo an operation to rebuild her foot. What's more, Sheli McCoy, better known as Sabre, tore her hamstring during production, and at the time noted to Metro that the 'competitive' nature of her job meant that nothing on set 'came without risk.'
However, a spokesperson for the BBC previously insised that health and safety is taken seriously on the set as they said: "The health and well-being of all Gladiators, contenders and crew is of paramount importance. Gladiators is one of the toughest and most physically demanding programmes on TV and due to the high-impact nature of the show it is not unusual for those competing to suffer injuries.
"In each instance, as soon as it became apparent that a potential injury had occurred, the correct protocol was immediately followed.
"The injured Gladiators are currently following medical advice and working on their recoveries.'
This is the second time Gladiators has been revived on television since starting life in the 1990s, and, Athena, Bionic, Comet, Cyclone, Diamond, Dynamite, Electro, Fire, Fury, Giant, Hammer, Legend, Nitro, Phantom, Sabre, Steel, and Viper will be back on screen in 2026.
The BBC's version of the hit became the most watched Saturday night series on BBC iPlayer and the third most watched Entertainment series overall. The show averaged 5.3m viewers, with nearly two fifths streaming on demand.
The revival of the show has also capture younger viewers with 1.3 million tuning in for each episode, accounting for nearly a quarter of the show's overall audience.
Speaking on the news, Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC says: 'Audiences have loved getting together to watch our mighty Gladiators take on contenders from all across the UK with younger fans especially excited to cheer on their Saturday night superheroes.
"With this brand-new series and another Celebrity Special confirmed there will be even more epic battles, more high-octane action and of course even more foam fingers than ever before for everyone to look forward to!"
Before the next series hits screens, fans will be able to catch Nitro competing in the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing, and he will be putting his footwork to the test for judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke. Also known as Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, he appeared in last year's Christmas edition of the programme.
Upon his casting for the main competition, he said: "After the Christmas Special, it was so nice I just had to do it twice! I'm so excited to be part of the Strictly family this series and I'm ready to give it all I've got. I'll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor. Let's hope I'm as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track!"
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