Harry Aikines-Aryeetey – better known as Nitro on Gladiators – has opened up about working with Bradley Walsh, saying the veteran presenter earns nothing but respect. The 37-year-old former Commonwealth sprinter said he always listens when Walsh talks and tries to be part of anything the presenter does.
Bradley Walsh, 66, has hosted the rebooted Gladiators alongside his son Barney Walsh since the series launched in 2024. Harry said of the presenter: "He's just a great guy. The career that he's had and what he's able to do as an individual is pretty awesome. You've got nothing but respect for him and you listen when he talks and try to be a part of anything that he does."
Injury battles
The Gladiators star suffered a knee injury after the first series, forcing him to pull out of series two. It was far from his first setback – hamstring and back problems had previously disrupted his sprinting career and derailed his Olympic ambitions.
Harry admitted injuries felt more devastating when they cost him the chance to compete at major championships. He said: "This world is slightly different in the sense that you get appreciated differently. Whereas when I was in the pomp of my athletics career, it was so much worse."
"I had ruptured hamstrings, back braces and all sorts of injuries, and there's no worse feeling than preparing for something for four years and not being able to do it. Whereas I'm very fortunate that in the job that I have now as a gladiator, I've never had so many people be concerned over my knee."
"It was a career-threatening injury that I got through and I'm really proud of myself to be at this point. The worlds are just so different. We're talking about olympics and world championships. In athletics, you can't have a hair out of line but the moment you're out for a season, it's like your world falls apart. But I haven't felt like that with this show and I'm very fortunate for that. I appreciate the world that we're in right now."
A privilege to be part of Gladiators
The Strictly Come Dancing star said being involved in the rebooted show is an honour, especially given the impact the original series had in the 1990s. "When you've got such a big thing that translates into so many people's houses and homes, I grew up with it and being a part of it for me is just an honour," he told us.
"We're giving it the love and the service that it deserves and hoping that it has a very good reflective point once it's out there. It's doing its thing which I'm really proud of. Hopefully I can keep doing more and let people continue enjoying the show. There's a lot that I can keep giving."
He added: "I think I was born to be a gladiator and they found me. There's some things that just make sense and that was one of them."
New role as HomeServe's Personal Drainer
Away from the arena, Harry has been named the UK's first-ever 'Personal Drainer' as part of a new HomeServe campaign. He explained: "Everyone's heard of a personal trainer but I'm here to act as HomeServe's person drainer. I want to try and look after everyone's pipes and making sure that your etiquette around what you're throwing down your drains is of the right nature."
"HomeServe's got an abundance of knowledge and understanding from engineers that I've been able to learn from myself. We're trying to make sure that people become more aware of the dos and don'ts when it comes to drains because it's better to have an understanding before things go wrong."
He highlighted the importance of knowing what should not be flushed, singling out wipes, hair and oils as common culprits. "Education is massive around it. It's little things like people will throw flushable wipes down the toilet, but they might not be flushable. You need to make sure you're aware of what you're throwing down the toilet."
"Hair is never a good thing. Oils are never a good thing. These are things that you think you know, but kind of don't."
