Gladiators’ star was forced to pull out of the programme’s first episode after shattering her leg during filming
Gladiators’ Comet wasn’t seen past the credits of Saturday’s debut when she shattered her leg in a horror fall during filming.
Comet, whose real name was Ella-Mae Rayner, was climbing a 30-foot wall when she fell, breaking her ankle and foot and tearing three ligaments in her leg.
The 28-year-old cheerleader and gymnast was treated at the Utilia Arena in Sheffield, where Gladiators was filmed, before being sent to hospital and having surgery.
Ella-Mae’s fall, which took place in June 2023, will not air and it is not yet known if she will appear in future episodes of this series.
The Gladiators is hosted by father-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh.
Gladiators’ Comet, 28, wasn’t seen after the opening credits of Saturday’s debut when she shattered her leg in a horror fall during filming
Comet, real name Ella-Mae Rayner, was climbing a 30-foot wall when she fell, breaking her ankle and foot and tearing three ligaments in her leg (photo in 2023)
The cheerleader and gymnast was treated at the Utilia Arena in Sheffield, where Gladiators was filmed, before being sent to hospital and undergoing surgery (pictured on Sunday)
Speak with The sunElla-Mae said: ‘It just shows that we’re not acting. This isn’t WWE, this is one of the toughest shows on TV.
‘The injury was very tough, but I had the team around me and everyone was great. I couldn’t have asked for a better medical team.”
She continued: “I’m almost (recovered), but it will always be an injury that I know about. But it won’t stop me from doing what I want to do. You are face to face and it is contact, so injuries are part of it. Comet is here to stay.”
Not long after her accident, Ella-Mae, who wasn’t the only Gladiator to suffer an injury during filming, took to Instagram and wrote:
“Life isn’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving – right now this quote couldn’t sound more appropriate.
‘While filming one of the matches I suffered a serious foot injury.
‘Several scans and x-rays later I discovered that I had broken my ankle and foot in several places, including the talus and a so-called lisfranc injury, had torn three ligaments and dislocated a bone.
‘I am now resting after an operation to fix my foot and stabilize the broken bones. This is just a small hiccup and fuels the fire within me to come back better and stronger than ever before. ‘
Speaking to The Sun about her injury, Ella-Mae said: Speaking to The Sun, Ella-Mae said: ‘It just shows that we’re not acting. This isn’t WWE, this is one of the toughest shows on TV
The Fall of Ella-Mae, which took place in June 2023, will not be broadcast and it is not yet known whether she will appear in future episodes of this series
Not long after her accident, Ella-Mae, who wasn’t the only Gladiator to suffer an injury during filming, took to Instagram to tell fans what happened
Despite Comet’s absence, Gladiators was viewed a whopping 6.4 million times at its peak, 24 years after the original series ended.
Despite Comet’s absence, Gladiators was viewed a whopping 6.4 million times at its peak, 24 years after the original series ended.
The other Gladiators are Fury, Apollo, Fire, Legend, Dynamite, Giant, Sabre, Steel, Electro, Phantom, Athena, Nitro, Diamond and Viper.
It will contain a total of 11 episodes, each lasting an hour and each featuring four participants: two women and two men.
The Gladiators airs on BBC One on Saturday at 5.50pm. Previous episodes are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.