‘I won it for Warrington' – Gladiators 2025 winner on being crowned champion

Yahoo

15-04-2025

'I WON it for Warrington' – the Gladiators 2025 champion has opened up about the nail-biting final episode and what it means to have her childhood dream come true.
Yesterday, Saturday, Amanda Wah was crowned this year's Gladiators champion after a nail-biting grand final.
The 36-year-old, from Lymm, has been going from strength to strength in the series, breaking records as she progressed.
After watching the show as a child, Amanda dreamt of putting on the iconic Gladiators outfit and was just excited to be involved.
But it all suddenly felt very real when she caught sight of the trophy at the beginning of the final.
The 36-year-old gym owner filmed the series back in August (Image: Alex Hughes)
'It was all fun and games until the trophy got wheeled out at the start,' she said.
'My girlfriend, Natalie, literally text me 'you can't come home unless you bring that trophy home'.
'She's never been competitive in her life until that moment, so when I saw a new light in her, I knew it was game time.'
The gym owner put in as much preparation as she could ahead of the final but ultimately felt as though she had been training for this moment her whole life without knowing it.
'Every hardship, every stressful situation, it didn't matter what I came against, I had already felt it before,' she said.
'So when everyone says 'what are you training for', apparently I was training for Gladiators and didn't even know it.'
Amanda feels as though she has been preparing for Gladiators her whole life (Image: Alex Hughes)
It wasn't an easy ride for Amanda, who was put through her paces by the Gladiators and her competition, Aneila Asfar, and found herself behind for the first time in the series.
'I had tried so hard for all the events, and they just didn't go my way,' she said.
'It got to the point where I thought maybe today's not the day, somebody has to lose.
'I was panicking a bit.'
It was as she was preparing to head out for the final round, The Eliminator, that Amanda miraculously found the final push she needed in the shape of a Gladiator called Diamond.
'I was stood waiting to go out on the floor and I'd drunk about four different energy drinks to try and find something to give me the kick,' she said.
'This was at the end of two weeks of filming, and I felt done but Diamond walked behind us and came over and was like, 'what are you doing mate, you look dead'.
'I said I felt like I needed someone to punch me in the face, at which point she said okay and slapped me with both hands on my arms and legs and starting pushing me.
'At that point I was ready to run through a wall, and it was by chance she was even there and gave me the slap I needed. '
It wasn't an easy ride for Amanda, who fell behind for the first time in the series (Image: Graeme Hunter)
When Amanda took to the floor, she felt ready to give it everything she had left, and took a final moment to think of her mum, who passed away from early onset dementia two years ago.
'There was a cameraman at the top of the cargo net with a little red light on his camera,' she said.
'Every time I was on the start line it felt like a beacon to my mum. I never ask her for anything, I'm not a big believer in all that, but in that moment I was behind and under pressure.
'I looked and thought, 'if you're going to do something mum, this is the time'.'
Despite the fact it was a race against Aneila, Amanda confessed it felt as if she was also racing against herself in a final push to victory.
'You have good events and you have bad events, there are a couple of decisions that don't go your way and it's hard to stay positive,' she said.
'But, ultimately, The Eliminator wasn't a race between me and Aneila, it was a race against myself.
'As soon as I jumped on the cargo net and started climbing, I was like 'I've got this'. By the time I got to the top of the rope I was ahead, and the excitement set in.'
Amanda sprinted to victory in the final round, The Eliminator (Image: Graeme Hunter)
Amanda absolutely smashed The Eliminator, setting a new record for the event – a record that was also previously set by her – and was declared this year's Gladiators winner.
'The elation I felt as I looked across to my family and friends – everyone was crying,' she said.
'It was just the icing on the cake of the emotional journey that we'd been on, especially for them.
'It wasn't my win, it was our win. It was a bigger thing than just me, it was never about myself.
'For me, it was my gym family, my friends, my family, everyone I've taken on the journey with me – we all came out as winners.'
Surrounded by more than 100 of her friends and family, Amanda relived her crowning moment with a huge screening at her gym and burst into tears as she celebrated with her loved ones.
Amanda relived her winning moment surrounded by her family and friends (Image: Alex Hughes)
Amanda has been vocal about the fact that she wants to use this experience and platform to help inspire others, and has even started kid's classes at her gym to show children that you don't have to be good at sport to be fit and strong.
'It's mad, [being on the show has] had more of an impact than I thought,' she said.
'I think just hearing the impact I've had and having people reach out and email me, it's so heartwarming to know that you can make such a difference by just being you.
'Everyone's been like 'thank you for going on TV and representing' and ultimately, I've just been myself.
'I'm at a point in my life where I'm ready to run with this. I want to make a difference.
'I want to make an impact, and this has allowed me to have a platform for people to reach out to me, and for me to reach them.'
The gym owner has been spurred on by the support she has received from not only her friends and family, but the town itself and is proud to have gone on to win for her hometown.
'It's the best TV show around,' she said.
'You have to be tough, you have to be strong and I feel like I did it and showcased it and won it for the town of Warrington.
"It's a dream come true."