Latest news with #Aneila
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Viewers 'gutted' to see Gladiators contender miss out on final
The Gladiators returned tonight (April 12) for the final episode of the 2025 series and viewers were sad to see a contender miss out on the final. Amanda, Aneila, Mus and Joe will battle it out for the two trophies but only one male and one female get to take them home. Contender Zavia made a short appearance at the start of tonight's episode to share she wouldn't be able to compete after suffering a leg injury. Viewers have shared their sadness at Zavia not competing. Aneila takes her place as the fastest female runner-up. After last week's performance, Zavia took to Instagram to say: 'The game that took me out … I WAS DEVASTATED when I felt my leg go but I finally got the diamond carry! 'Silver linings and all that. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the support 'I've had the time of my life and happy for Aneila and Amanda to go on to the final. They are both amazing and even though I'm sad I won't get to be in the last show, I'm happy that I made it and now I get to watch my mates from the front row. 'Thank you again everyone and good luck to the finalists'. Ahead of the final, fans shared their excitement with one taking to X to say: 'So excited for The Gladiators final tonight!!!' Another said: '#Gladiators final time!!' Recommended reading: Gladiators viewers share same complaint just minutes into semi-final Gladiators star makes shock announcement as he's ruled out of series with injury How to apply for Gladiators as BBC hunts for 'bravest' contenders for series 3 Viewers of Gladiators, which is filmed in Sheffield, sent their love to Zavia after missing out on the big stage. One shared to X: 'Poor Zavier #Gladiators'. Another commented: 'Wishing Zavia a speedy recovery & we're gutted that she's unable to compete tonight. #Gladiators'. A third said they were 'sad for Xavia' but pleased she got a hug from hosts Brad and Barney.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Nothing we can't do': Gladiators' first hijabi contender aims to inspire
When Aneila Afsar first appeared on Gladiators, she made history. The popular BBC One show which pits gladiators against contenders in a series of physical challenges was rebooted last year and Aneila has made it to Saturday's semi-finals. She became the first person ever to compete on the show wearing a hijab and says she gains strength from wearing it. "I love that I have the opportunity to go on this iconic show and inspire young Muslim girls, women from my community, and show them that there's nothing we can't do," the 26-year-old tells BBC Newsbeat. Many Muslim girls and women wear the hijab, an Islamic head covering, as a symbol of modesty. Aneila hasn't always worn one, only choosing to cover her hair three years ago, and part of that was because she didn't see other hijabis within sports. The mum-of-two from Lancashire is a former taekwondo champion, winning a Commonwealth Championship in the youth category. Back then, she "didn't have the courage to embrace the scarf". "Part of that was because of not having female Muslim role models in the sport or sports in general. "It was hard adapting to wearing a headscarf while being in the fitness industry. "Going from not covering to then covering everything which includes your hair, you can feel as if people are staring, you don't feel confident," she says. But as she got older, Aneila found the confidence to be that role model herself and now she sees the hijab differently. "It's empowering, it's my superpower. I love it." The hijab can sometimes be a controversial topic in sport and at last year's Paris Olympics, French athletes were banned from wearing one even though the International Olympic Committee allowed them to. In 2023, Moroccan footballer Nouhaila Benzina made history as the first player to wear a hijab at the Women's World Cup. They had been banned until 2014 by the game's governing body Fifa. Since first appearing on the show, Aneila says not everyone has been so positive about her hijab though. She's posted about receiving Islamophobic and racist abuse on social media, but says overall it's been heavily outweighed by the encouraging reaction. That's important to Aneila who says she wants to show "you can wear a hijab, be involved in fitness and still pursue your dreams". "I'm getting messages from girls as young as 12 telling me that I'm the reason they're taking gymnastics again and that they feel that they can now be involved in sport." And it's not just young girls who've been inspired by Aneila. "Since being on Gladiators, I've received messages from women in their 40s who say if there was a visible Muslim woman wearing a headscarf when they were younger, their whole journey with fitness would have been different," she says. And she hopes her journey on Gladiators will encourage her own children to feel comfortable being themselves too. "My daughter was getting older and I wanted to be a visible Muslim role model for her," she says. "I have used my children to be my inspiration. It's because of them I wanted to wear a headscarf." Aneila says the reaction she's had since first appearing on Gladiators helped her realise "we can push the barriers out, break any stereotypes". "The hijab is not a limitation." Gladiators will air on BBC One at 17:50 on Saturday 5 April. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. 'I want to inspire British Pakistanis to be the first in their field' Diving for Olympic glory after career-threatening injury Young Muslim footballers say Benzina is a role model
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Gladiators' first hijabi contender Aneila Afsar aims to inspire
When Aneila Afsar first appeared on Gladiators, she made popular BBC One show which pits gladiators against contenders in a series of physical challenges was rebooted last year and Aneila has made it to Saturday's became the first person ever to compete on the show wearing a hijab and says she gains strength from wearing it."I love that I have the opportunity to go on this iconic show and inspire young Muslim girls, women from my community, and show them that there's nothing we can't do," the 26-year-old tells BBC Newsbeat. Many Muslim girls and women wear the hijab, an Islamic head covering, as a symbol of hasn't always worn one, only choosing to cover her hair three years ago, and part of that was because she didn't see other hijabis within sports. 'My superpower' The mum-of-two from Lancashire is a former taekwondo champion, winning a Commonwealth Championship in the youth then, she "didn't have the courage to embrace the scarf"."Part of that was because of not having female Muslim role models in the sport or sports in general."It was hard adapting to wearing a headscarf while being in the fitness industry."Going from not covering to then covering everything which includes your hair, you can feel as if people are staring, you don't feel confident," she as she got older, Aneila found the confidence to be that role model herself and now she sees the hijab differently. "It's empowering, it's my superpower. I love it." The hijab can sometimes be a controversial topic in sport and at last year's Paris Olympics, French athletes were banned from wearing one even though the International Olympic Committee allowed them 2023, Moroccan footballer Nouhaila Benzina made history as the first player to wear a hijab at the Women's World Cup. They had been banned until 2014 by the game's governing body Fifa. Since first appearing on the show, Aneila says not everyone has been so positive about her hijab posted about receiving Islamophobic and racist abuse on social media, but says overall it's been heavily outweighed by the encouraging important to Aneila who says she wants to show "you can wear a hijab, be involved in fitness and still pursue your dreams"."I'm getting messages from girls as young as 12 telling me that I'm the reason they're taking gymnastics again and that they feel that they can now be involved in sport." And it's not just young girls who've been inspired by Aneila. "Since being on Gladiators, I've received messages from women in their 40s who say if there was a visible Muslim woman wearing a headscarf when they were younger, their whole journey with fitness would have been different," she she hopes her journey on Gladiators will encourage her own children to feel comfortable being themselves too. "My daughter was getting older and I wanted to be a visible Muslim role model for her," she says."I have used my children to be my inspiration. It's because of them I wanted to wear a headscarf."Aneila says the reaction she's had since first appearing on Gladiators helped her realise "we can push the barriers out, break any stereotypes"."The hijab is not a limitation." Gladiators will air on BBC One at 17:50 on Saturday 5 April. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who is in the Gladiators 2025 semi-finals?
Gladiators is one of the toughest contests on TV - but these super-fit contenders have managed to make it through the heats and have now taken on the quarter-finals to secure a spot in the 2025 semi-finals. With new events and new Gladiators to tackle, the series two contenders have had to up their game to reach the next round and beat the BBC One show's stars, as well as each other. These are the impressive contenders who have made it through each round so far, including the fastest runners-up who get another go back in the arena. Read more: Who are new Gladiators Cyclone and Hammer? The new Gladiators games to get excited about in season 2 Who are the Gladiators presenters and commentator? The series semi-finals line-up for 2025 was confirmed on Saturday, 15 March after the last quarter-final aired. As well as the quarter-final winners, the fastest male and female runners-up were also announced who will get another turn back in the arena. The female semi-finalists this year are Zavia, Amanda and Keeva, with Aneila as the fastest runner-up. Meanwhile, the male semi-finalists are confirmed as Mus, Joe F and Nathan, with Joe H taking the title of fastest male runner-up. Fan favourite Joe H secured his place in the semi-finals as the fastest male runner-up, announced at the end of the last quarter-final. It was a tough field of speedy male contenders, so Joe H could have every chance of making it to the final. Unsurprisingly, Aneila finished as fastest female runner-up after a valiant effort against course record holder Amanda. She goes through to fight another day against the Gladiators in the semi-finals. In the last Eliminator of the quarter-finals, Keeva had an 8.5 second head start on Rachel which she made the most of. Keeva even managed to catch her breath before taking on the travelator and breezed through to the semi-finals, although she said she felt her achievement was "unimaginable". Rachel had been the fastest runner-up from the heats, but her time in the contest was finally up. Viewers could probably have predicted that Nathan would triumph over Andy in the Eliminator as he had a massive nine-second head start. But even aside from his time advantage, Nathan put in a superhuman effort as he beat the male contender Eliminator record by completing it in an incredibly impressive 59 seconds - the first to break one minute. Nathan admitted he is now hoping to go for the 2025 series champion title. It was a pretty evenly matched contest in quarter-final two, as Amanda had just a one-second head start on Aneila going into the Eliminator. However, super-tough Amanda capitalised on that one-second lead and stormed through every element of the final challenge to breeze her way into a new female Eliminator record of 1:26 minutes. Aneila was hot on her heels, giving her a pretty good chance of making it to the semi-finals as the fastest runner-up. The men's Eliminator was more evenly matched again as both Joe and Lewis started on the same whistle after gaining the same number of points. Lewis put up a valiant fight after making it into the quarter-finals as the fastest runner-up, but he couldn't catch Joe who sped through the challenge. Joe was always going to be a tough act to follow, having completed the Eliminator in the heats in just 63 seconds. Going into the female contenders' Eliminator, Zavia had a huge head start with 27 points over Poppy's 17 points. Poppy had a tough task even without Zavia's time advantage, as Zavia had previously set the Eliminator course record at 1:41 minutes. So it was no surprise that Zavia raced through the final challenge again, and despite a couple of small stumbles, she even managed to beat her own course record for female contenders - finishing in a super speedy 1:35 minutes. The first male quarter-finalists were Joe and Mus, both hugely popular with the crowd. Although Mus set an unwanted record by scoring zero points and being knocked off the bridge in just four seconds in Collision, it didn't hold him back too much and going into the Eliminator, the scores stood at Joe on 20 points with Mus getting a head start on 26 points. Mus made the Eliminator look easy as he effortlessly completed each challenge, even taking the time to wave to the crowd. Joe may well be back as fastest runner-up in the semi-finals, but Mus put in such a great performance that he left viewers wondering if he could be the series winner. The full quarter-final line-up for the 2025 series was revealed on 22 February after the fifth round of heats. Gladiators also named its fastest male and female runners-up from the Eliminator, making 12 quarter-finalists in total. Competing for the women's title are Zavia, Keeva, Amanda, Poppy and Aneila, with Rachel from heat five making the cut as fastest runner-up. Meanwhile, the men's line-up is confirmed as Nathan, Joe, Mus, Joe and Andy, with Lewis from heat three returning as the fastest runner-up for the men. There has been some really tough competition for fastest male runner-up this season, with heat five's Nush looking like he might manage it until a couple of badly-timed falls on the travelator. In the end, it was Lewis from heat three who made it into the final six men. Lewis had been a contender in the same episode as his wife Toni, who also didn't manage to make it through the Eliminator first. However, the couple will now get a return visit to the arena with Toni cheering on Lewis in the quarter-finals. Heat five's Rachel, a personal trainer from Essex, might not have triumphed in the Eliminator, but she's from fighting stock - her dad is Frank Bruno. Rachel battled against the clock to bag herself a place in the quarter-finals, smashing the previous course record of the season at 1:67 minutes to be named fastest runner-up with 1:38 minutes. We'll see her reunited with her contender rival Aneila, who cheered on her success, in the next round of the competition. Hosts Bradley and Barney Walsh asked ex-Army man Andy at the start of the episode whether someone from the military could win the show two years in a row following last year's champ Finlay Anderson - but the firefighter from Bournemouth boasted that as a former paratrooper, viewers were about to see the difference between him and Army officer Finlay. It seems Andy's confidence was not misplaced as he powered his way through games including Unleash, where he beat a furious Viper, and Powerball where he took out Giant after a clash that left the Gladiator injured and unable to finish the challenge. Andy did hit a stumbling block in Hang Tough, where despite Apollo falling from the rings and leaving the way wide open, Andy completed the course but then fell from the podium, losing points. However, despite contender Nush having a head start in the Eliminator, Andy looked tireless as he pushed on through to the end, claiming his quarter-finals place. Aneila from Manchester may be working as a supply teacher these days, but the Gladiators shouldn't underestimate her as she was competing in taekwondo for Team GB aged just 12 and won the British Championships six times. She showed her confidence by picking up a big points lead in Atlaspheres and boldly asking the Gladiators: "Who was supposed to be marking me?" In Hang Tough, she managed to cling onto the rings for an extraordinarily long time before Sabre finally pulled her down, and Aneila edged ahead of rival Rachel to win the Eliminator. The superfit pair's fast performances pushed each other on, as Rachel managed to get fastest runner-up, and they celebrated with a hug at hearing they had both made the quarter-finals. Proving that this year's contenders are taking their achievements in the arena to the next level was Joe, who put in a performance worthy of any Gladiator. After giving Unleash his best shot and wearing out the Gladiators as they chased to catch up with him, Joe shamed Legend by managing to make it to the end of Hang Tough. He put in another great performance in Gauntlet, but Joe's time to shine really came in the Eliminator against rival contender Junior. Despite Junior also putting in a great effort, he was no match for Joe, who managed to set a new record in time to finish the Eliminator, sending him straight through to the quarter-finals. It was a strong week for contenders in the arena - Poppy also managed to anger more than a few Gladiators with her impressive efforts. The prison exercise leader kept her cool throughout events including Unleash and Gauntlet, and like Joe after her, she managed to become the first contender to complete Hang Tough against a very unhappy Sabre. Of course, it all comes down to the Eliminator, where Poppy had to take on contender Stacey. She managed to win the final event, taking her through to the quarter-finals so we'll see her again in a few weeks. Mustapha, or Mus, was accused of being a "professional climber" on his ascent to victory during the third round of heats, having left Legend for dust in The Wall. His path to the quarter-finals got off to an undesirable start, though, as fellow contender Lewis (who competed alongside his real-life partner Toni) outpointed him by six in The Ring. Next came a brand-new course named Unleash, before he categorically smashed The Wall, The Edge, Atlaspheres and The Eliminator. Carrying a nine-second headstart into The Eliminator, Mus went on to break a Gladiators record on that particularly lung-busting challenge, finishing in 1 minute and 4 seconds (the previous record was 1 minute and 6 seconds). In a closely fought battle between self-described "armchair hero" Amanda and Toni, which pendulumed on a round-by-round basis, it all came down to the dreaded travelator on The Eliminator, with both women failing to conquer it and falling flat on their faces multiple times. Athena, Fire, Dynamite, Electro and Sabre all did their best to get in the contenders' way, yet gym owner Amanda's grit and determination just about proved the difference on the night. She told co-presenter Barney Walsh: "Wow, what a childhood dream this is! I can't even begin to describe it." While Keeva put in some impressive performances during the challenges, she was up against tough competition with contender Nikki. Keeva found herself at the centre of a controversy with new Gladiator Cyclone who made her debut in heat two and accused the contender of breaking the rules during Duel. Cyclone then went on to come close to a rule break herself in the Gauntlet as she tried to hold Keeva around the waist and was reprimanded by ref Mark Clattenburg - but later claimed she was just settling scores from the Duel. The Edge proved tricky for gym owner Keeva, who sprinted across the ceiling-height track on her first go but then somehow managed to step straight into a hole in the track and fell down onto the net without even being touched by a Gladiator. However, there was a second chance for Keeva as Nikki, who had looked like a serious contender for the final, took a nasty tumble from The Edge herself and had to be taken out of the arena to treat an injury. It meant that Keeva went straight through to the quarter-finals without even having to take on the Eliminator. Heat two included a dramatic battle for the quarter-final place between male contenders Joe and Aman. Smiley driving instructor Joe appeared to be enjoying his time in the arena, but Legend pretended to think he was a competition winner having a go at a challenge after one game, with Aman looking like a much stronger contender. Aman had a huge head start in the Eliminator, where Joe struggled to catch up - but just as commentator Guy Mowbray suggested we could be looking at a finalist, disaster struck for Aman. Like many a contender before him, he didn't make it up the travelator on his first attempt, but took too long to gather his energy for a second try which allowed Joe to catch up and snatch the win. The contenders brought their A-game to the return of Gladiators for season two, with a line-up of determined challengers who gave some seriously impressive performances. First up for the women was Zavia, who wasn't far behind the Gladiators themselves in strength and determination. She took on events including Duel and the new Atlaspheres, going into the Eliminator a huge 21 points ahead of her competition, hairdresser Katie. Unsurprisingly with such a large head start in timing, Zavia sailed through the Eliminator well ahead of Katie and straight through to the quarter-finals, where we'll see her again. Heat one's male winner Nathan looks like one to watch - he pulled off the incredible feat of being the first ever contender not to be knocked off the podium in Duel by the event's champion, Giant. Apollo was shown shouting and throwing things in anger in the backstage changing room after plummeting from the ceiling-height track in The Edge over a battle with Nathan. Just like Zavia, he picked up a big lead on his competitor, Scott - in part because Scott dislocated his finger on The Wall - and was 19 points in front for a hefty head start on the Eliminator. Nathan made short work of the Eliminator, putting his CrossFit skills to good use in racing through rope climbs, net climbs and the travelator. It came as no surprise, given that viewers were told he spends three hours a day training in his home gym. Each event on Gladiators might look utterly exhausting, but the contenders will have to get through many battles in the arena if they want to be crowned series champion. The grand final air date for series two hasn't yet been set, but series one began with five weeks of heats where two female and two male contenders competed in each one, with the two heat champions going through to the quarter-finals. Viewers should look out for three quarter-finals, featuring showdowns between the heats winners and the fastest runners-up. Contenders who make it to the end of the Eliminator first will go on to compete in one of two semi-finals, which will whittle down the cast to the grand final and the male and female series winners. Although episodes air weekly, the entire series is pre-recorded in advance over the summer in front of a huge audience at Sheffield Arena. The filming schedule explains why Nitro, aka Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, was ruled out of series two with an injury despite being recovered enough to take part in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special - as well as why Fire, aka Montell Douglas, could take enough time out of training to do Strictly 2024. Gladiators continues on BBC One at 5:50pm on Saturdays.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gladiators fans compare Cyclone to Legend in 'panto villain' posturing
Gladiators fans compared Cyclone to fan-favourite/antagonist Legend in their "panto villain" posturing. Going up against contestant Aneila in the 'Unleash' challenge Cyclone was not able to catch her. The game involves a contestant getting a head start on a gladiator and having to make their way around an obstacle course without getting caught. Aneila managed to stay ahead of Cyclone to win, but the gladiator was not exactly humble in defeat. Gladiators is back tonight at the later time of 7pm on BBC One. It's the 2nd Quarter-Final where Joe from Scarborough takes on Lewis from Tredegar and Aneila from Manchester takes on Amanda from Warrington. 🔴🔵 PLUS there's a new event crashing into the arena 💥🌐💨 #Gladiators — Gladiators (@GladiatorsTV) March 8, 2025 As she was interviewed by Barney Walsh afterwards she took the time to say she was really proud of herself for not falling on the stairs section of the course like she did last time. She then went on to add that it was more of a victory for her than it was for Aneila, before asking the crowd what they thought. Gladiators fans liken Cyclone to Legend in villain behaviour Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) Gladiators fans likened Cyclone's posturing to the villain behaviour that Legend has made himself known for. One person wrote: "Cyclone attended the same panto villain training course as Legend #gladiators". Another shared: "Oo someone's nicking #Legends quotes #Gladiators". A third posted: "Cyclone definitely a female Legend." Meanwhile, another said: "Cyclone [hands shaking emoji] Legend. Never admitting defeat." Recommended Reading BBC viewers want Gladiator star to 'stop' after 'sick' joke 'So unfair' - BBC Gladiator fans slam 'stupid' game rule and demand change Gladiators fans in shock as contestant revealed to be daughter of legendary boxer Gladiators star breaks silence over 'absolute mess' that led to split with wife Gladiators returned for its second series in January after it was rebooted by the BBC in 2024 with father and son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh hosting. The show sees members of the public attempt physically and mentally tough challenges while trying to beat the Gladiators. BBC Gladiators airs on Saturday evenings on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
