Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, better known by his stage name Nitro, has opened up about his experience working with host Bradley Walsh on the BBC show.
The 66-year-old presenter has fronted the revamped Gladiators alongside his son, Barney Walsh, since its 2024 debut. Harry, 37, had nothing but glowing words for the seasoned presenter, lauding both his illustrious career and his personality while sharing one thing he always ensures to do when they're on set together.
Respect and admiration
The TV star, who has recently been crowned the UK's inaugural 'Personal Drainer', said: "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."
After the first series, the former Commonwealth sprinter sustained a knee injury which forced him to bow out of the show's second season. Sadly, the sportsman is all too familiar with injuries, having battled hamstring and back issues that disrupted his sprinting career and thwarted his Olympic dreams more than once.
Injury contrast
Harry reflected on the stark contrast between suffering injuries during his athletics career and while competing on Gladiators, confessing they felt more crushing when they robbed him of the opportunity to compete at major championships.
He revealed: "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."
Career-threatening injury
Harry went on: "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."
In a fresh role away from the programme, the telly star has become a 'Personal Drainer', leading a brand new campaign for HomeServe.
