Two stars on BBC’s upcoming Gladiators reboot have been forced to step away from filming after they were injured on set. A new take on the original ITV show that ran from 1992 to 2000, Gladiators pits four contestants against the show’s Gladiators in a series of physical challenges, with two of the show’s stars, Comet and Sabre, suffering serious injuries that required hospitalization in one of the recent challenges.
In a June 20 Instagram post, Comet, real name Ella-Mae Rayner, revealed that she broke her ankle and foot and had to undergo surgery. Sharing some post-surgery photos from her hospital bed, the former elite gymnast, 28, told her followers that “during the filming of one of the games I sustained a severe foot injury.” Scans and X-rays later determined that Rayner had broken her ankle and foot “in multiple places, including the talus and something known as a lisfranc injury, ruptured 3 ligaments and dislocated a bone.” She added that she was “now resting up following an operation to fix my foot and stabilise the broken bones,” sharing that while “the road ahead for recovery is long,” her “spirits remain high and I still had the time of my life whilst filming Gladiators.”
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“To my fellow Gladiators, family, and close friends. I am struggling to find the words to describe how grateful I am for you all. From the bottom of my heart, you could not have shown me greater compassion, love, and support throughout the show. You have all shown what it truly means to be a team,” Rayner wrote. “This is just a minor blip in the road and ignites the fire in me to come back better and stronger than ever before.”
That same day, Sabre, real name Sheli McCoy, revealed that she is now using crutches after she tore her hamstring during one of the show’s challenges. McCoy wrote, “whilst filming for Gladiators I incurred a little battle injury – a hamstring tear.” According to McCoy, “Up to that point, every single day was a blessing and every event an unforgettable experience that I would repeat in a second.”
“The rehabilitation process is underway and going very well to date, with a lot of continued guidance from our fantastic physio Alfie,” she continued, adding that she is “no stranger to rehabilitation practice… I have to thank the medical staff and production team appointed to the gladiators as they assessed, monitored and cared for me relentlessly post injury and to date!”
Following the back-to-back injuries, BBC released a statement addressing the safety of the stars on set. The network said, per Digital Spy, “the health and well-being of all Gladiators, contenders and crew is of paramount importance,” adding that “Gladiators is one of the toughest and most physically demanding programmes on TV and due to the high-impact nature of the show it is not unusual for those competing to suffer injuries.” The BBC said, “In each instance, as soon as it became apparent that a potential injury had occurred, the correct protocol was immediately followed.”
