“Exeter Chiefs winger Jodie Ounsley will leave the Premier 15s side to join the TV series Gladiators,” said BBC.
The 22-year-old, who is a former England sevens player, will become ‘Fury’ in the BBC reboot of the series due to be aired later this year.
“I’m buzzing,” Ounsley said of her casting in the show.
“Watching Gladiators growing up I was always in awe of their strength and power and now I am one. I hope contenders are ready to feel the Fury.”
The show first aired in Britain in 1992, with members of the public competing against Gladiators such as Wolf, Jet and Saracen in a series of physically demanding events, including Hang Tough, Atlaspheres and the Eliminator.
It ran on Saturday evenings on ITV until its final episode in January 2000 before being revamped by Sky for two series from 2008 to 2009.
Zack George, who won the title of UK’s Fittest Man in 2020, will be joining Ounsley as Gladiator ‘Steel’.
6 inspirational rugby players with disabilities
From legendary All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu to current England prop Ellis Genge, this article takes a look at a number of rugby players who overcame disabilities to achieve big things in the sport they love.
These inspiring achievers pursued their dreams and achieved so much!
RUGBY PLAYERS WITH DISABILITIES:
1. Ian Mckinley – Blindness
It’s now roughly eight years since the accident that led to Ian McKinley losing the sight in his left eye. In a freak accident, a stray boot from a fellow teammate perforated his left eye while playing a club match in 2010 for University College Dublin, leaving him partially blind in that eye. The injury would be a career-ending one for 99.9% of professional athletes but not for McKinley.
One of the most extraordinary things of this or any other Six Nations. Ian McKinley, blind in his left eye, kicking off his left foot. A Dubliner V Ireland tomorrow @ITVRugby pic.twitter.com/Z1kSXCFw3D
— Nick Mullins (@andNickMullins) February 23, 2019
2. Henry Slade – Type 1 Diabetes
Slade signed his first professional contract with Exeter Chiefs at the age of 18, the same year in which he also developed type 1 diabetes. Under the 2010 Equality Act, type 1 diabetes is defined as a disability, in that it may have a ‘substantial, long-term, negative impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal, day-to-day activities’.
#Charityis… @ExeterChiefs superstar Henry Slade supporting type 1 diabetes research and inspiring others pic.twitter.com/UvllTJzcCd
— JDRF UK (@JDRFUK) March 14, 2016