Nitro is living the dream

Nitro has said being part of Gladiators is a “dream come true” as he looks to rise above his competition.

He told the BBC: “Becoming a Gladiator is another great achievement!

“A childhood dream come true! You never know what is coming in life, each day is there to be enjoyed and savouring all opportunities is a must! It literally gives me energy and strength!

“I can’t wait to be in the arena and bring Nitro to Gladiators!”

Where is Muscleman Mark Smith now?

Mark’s life now is worlds apart from his time on Gladiators, which he says “changed my life forever” – however, he also recalls a “horrific” injury that nearly cost him his career.

In 1995, Mark landed awkwardly on his right leg after tackling a contender from a giant inflatable pyramid and falling 25 feet onto a crashmat. It initially left him unable to walk and out of action for months. 

“My leg jolted and I knew that was it. I busted my collateral ligament and have never felt pain like that before. It was bad and I worried about being able to return during my darkest times,” he told The Sun.

“I was in a wheelchair and was in a cast for 12 weeks. At first, I couldn’t bend my leg 90 degrees let alone walk.

Cheating Row erupts

Gladiators descended into chaos tonight as Viper threw a strop after being knocked out in just two seconds with fans slamming the star.

The professional bodybuilder – real name Quang Luong – has been dubbed Wannabe Wolf by fans after the iconic villain from the original series.

During the first challenge, The Duel, Viper cheated by hitting early – and it all backfired on him.

But before the countdown had finished, Viper knocked contestant Ash off the podium to the floor.

Amazon’s agony

Former Gladiator Sharron Davies has revealed producers’ demands forced her off the show after a horror injury that left her knee in pieces.

The 61-year-old athlete needed nine operations over the years after all her ligaments snapped while tackling a contender as Amazon on the hit Saturday night TV series in 1995.

She recalls: “I was pulling and I pushed the contender off and she fell on top of my leg and snapped all the ligaments on my knee. It did get to a point where a lot of accidents happened. She landed really awkwardly on my leg and it snapped.”

Who is Gladiators star Sabre?

Sheli McCoy is a weightlifting champion and personal trainer.

She runs a gym in her hometown of Dundee, Scotland, called SweatBox.

McCoy has previously opened up about being a female business owner, telling inov-8 in an interview: “I won’t let myself believe my gender specifically plays a role in my challenges of being a business person or a gym owner.

“I believe if I show up, work hard and build a team of talented individuals to provide the best of service and care then gender is immaterial.”

Jet’s horror injury

During a live untelevised version of the show in 1996, Diane Youdale suffered a horror fall that nearly cost her her life. 

She “rugby tackled” a contestant off a giant black and white pyramid but when they both hit the crash mat below, her neck was in an “awkward” position. 

Diane, known as Jet, told The Sun she knew something was wrong instantly as she had “heard that [same] snap before” when she had “broken ligaments and bones”.

After being rushed to hospital, medics revealed she had compressed her spinal cord – fortunately, she was still able to walk and admitted she was “lucky to be alive”.