BBC Gladiators injuries from snapped neck to shattered leg after Bradley Walsh chaos

Gladiators returned for its second series last weekend, with Bradley Walsh and his son Barney resuming their position as presenters.

The hit game show, which originally ran for eight years from 1992 until 2000, features members of the public taking on super-humans in a series of gruelling events.

The challenges test the competitors speed, strength, stamina and skill. But in doing so, it can cause plenty of injuries.

During the show's original run, a number of the gladiators suffered horrific injuries, which even led to them quitting the series all together.

And the BBC reboot is no different. Here, Express Online looks at some of the worst injuries sustained by those starring on the show.

Diane Youdale – Jet

In perhaps one of the worst injuries ever seen on the show, Diane Youdale, better known at Jet, suffered a nasty fall which resulted in her neck snapping.

The incident occurred back in 1996 in the old Wembley stadium, whilst Jet was taking part in the Pyramid. During the game, she wrestled a contender to the floor as they attempted to run past her.

Landing awkwardly, Diane, 54, told The Sun she had "heard that [same] snap before" when she had "broken ligaments and bones".

Doctors told the athlete that her neck was broken so badly that her spinal cord was compressed. If she wasn't so flexible, the incident could have cost her her life.

Diane quit Gladiators after the accident, with producers axing Pyramid as it was deemed too unsafe.

Chung

Despite the new and improved gameshow returning to screens in 2024, the injuries showed no signs of slowing down.

Going head-to-head with Apollo in the men's power ball, Chung picked up an injury so bad that he was forced to withdraw from the competition.

During the game, Apollo tackled Chung to the floor and accidentally injured his left knee. Bradley told the audience that Chung had consulted with the medical team and could no longer compete in the competition.

He said: "Now, earlier, we had to suspend the men's powerball game when Chung sadly was injured. After consultations with the medical team, the decision has been made that he can no longer continue in the competition.

"He's doing okay and is receiving the best medical care!"

Chung returned to the arena with his leg in a brace, expressing his devastation over having to pull out.

He told the audience: "Yeah, I'm disappointed to not be able to finish this race but the support I've had from the crowd has been incredible and it's really helped me get through it. So thank you to you guys!"

Michael Ahearne – Warrior

Known as one of the most mighty gladiators, Warrior appeared in six series of the show during its original run.

While competing in the Atlaspheres event in the first series in 1992, Warrior - real name Michael Ahearne - dislocated his knee.

Despite originally believing he had broken his leg, the physio revealed that Michael had exerted so much force that he was left with permanent internal damage in his kneecap.

Previously discussing the injury, Michael said: "I was in tremendous pain when the accident occurred… I turned around and my knee stayed behind me.

"I thought I broke my leg at first when I heard the noise and I realised it was my knee that had dislocated. I have had an accident like this before… it makes people realise what a tough game it is."

Ella-Mae Rayner – Comet

After filming just three episodes of the reboot in June 2023, Comet was forced to withdraw as a gladiator after suffering a major injury.

Comet, real name Ella-Mae Rayner, broke her right ankle and foot in multiple places after falling whilst climbing a 30-foot high wall.

The 29-year-old also dislocated a bone and ruptured three ligaments. The former elite gymnast was treated at Sheffield's Utilita Arena before being sent to hospital, where she was operated on.

Speaking about her injury, she told The Sun: "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."

Ella, now fully recovered, returned to the line-up of gladiators for the new series.

Michael Van Wijk – Wolf

Wolf - real name Michael Van Wijk revealed he is still carrying an injury more than two decades after the original show ended.

The event that caused his injury was Pyramid - the same challenge that left Jet with a snapped neck. Pyramid was introduced in 1994 and tasked two contenders with racing up a 7.5 metre high pyramid to reach the summit.

But standing in their way were two, sometimes three gladiators, who did everything they could to prevent them from reaching the top. With contenders and gladiators plummeting to the floor from a great height, it's no surprise that this event caused several injuries.

Mike, now 72, said last year: "I'm still carrying an injury from pyramid. I landed awkwardly because my legs went one way and my body went the other.

"I had a contender in my arms and he was moving in mid-air and I was trying to land on the mats with him. It still plays me up today. Every now and then it goes out and I have to go and see a chiropractor to put it back in."

Helen O'Reilly – Panther

During filming of series three in 1994, Panther was competing in Tilt when disaster struck.

The game sees one contender and a gladiator compete in a game of tug of war, with the gladiator placed on a higher table which is tilted forwards.

Panther - real name Helen O'Reilly - began to slip forward on the table before crashing to the floor. She hit the crash mat so hard that her legs went over her head.

After she was taken to hospital, Helen learned that she had sustained severe injuries to both her neck and back. She was out of action for more than five months, but eventually managed to build her body back up.

Speaking to The Sun about the incident, Helen recalled: "It was the most terrifying experience of my life. I thought I was going to die."

Helen, 63, returned to Gladiators, but decided to retire in 1996. She later admitted to having "no memory at all" of the injury.

James Crossley – Hunter

Committed to his role in the show, Hunter told the medical team that they would be pulling him from the arena "as a corpse" before he chose to leave the stage of his own accord.

While competing to become the ultimate gladiator in 1999, Hunter, whose real name is James Crossley, dislocated his shoulder.

Speaking to Betway, the 51-year-old said: "They wanted to pull me from the show, which was the last show for the title of Ultimate Gladiator. But I said to the physio, 'you’ll take me off here as a corpse, I’m not leaving the stage.'

"At the time, I was so competitive and so in it, I would have happily lost my arm to be on that show. That was my mentality."

James revealed he dislocated his shoulder five times on Gladiators, telling the Belfast Telegraph: "The pain is terrible - it's like being shot.

"The first time it happened, I dropped to my knees and I remember being carried off the show, gritting my teeth and thinking to myself, 'Keep smiling', because I didn't want the audience to see I was in agony."