Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, known as Nitro, has shared his admiration for working alongside Bradley Walsh on the BBC show. The 37-year-old former sprinter praised the 66-year-old broadcaster's distinguished career and personality, revealing that he consistently listens when Walsh speaks.
Respect for Bradley Walsh
Harry, who recently became the UK's first '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."
Walsh has fronted the revived Gladiators with his son, Barney Walsh, since 2024.
Injury Setbacks
Following the first series, Harry sustained a knee injury that forced him to miss the second series. He reflected on the contrast between injuries in athletics and Gladiators, noting that the latter felt less crushing.
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."
He added: "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."
A Career-Threatening Injury
Harry described the knee injury as career-threatening but expressed pride in overcoming it. He said: "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."
He continued: "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."
An Honour to Be Part of Gladiators
Harry acknowledged that being part of Gladiators is a privilege, especially given the show's significance to viewers since its 1990s original run. He said: "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 added: "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. 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."
