Tom Stoltman, the 6ft 8in star set to appear on BBC One's Gladiators, has revealed he was once terrified to leave his house and needed help using public transport. The 32-year-old three-time World's Strongest Man opened up about his struggles with autism in his memoir Lifting: Becoming the World's Strongest Brothers.
Childhood Struggles with Autism
Tom recalled: "To this day, I can't really explain how being autistic makes me feel compared to other people. But I do know my childhood could be very scary. Certain things would trigger my tantrums." He added: "For example, if Mum told me to go to bed, I'd go berserk, lock myself in the bathroom and scream the house down. Eventually, Mum learned to modify her language, so my tantrums would only last three or four minutes, instead of an hour. Going to busy, noisy places really affected me."
Tom continued: "When Mum took me shopping, I'd start screaming in the supermarket. Secondary school was big and terrifying. Suddenly, I was in a class with 30 or so noisy, hyperactive kids. I had lots of different lessons in lots of different rooms. There were strange new rules and lots of choices. 'Should I get my lunch on the high street or from the canteen?' That sort of stuff blew my mind. After a while, I avoided going whenever I could, because it was all too much for me."
Support and Public Transport
Tom's mother Sheila died from cancer in 2016. His father Ben fought for further support to help his son through education, and Tom eventually "got some one-on-one help." He admitted he found it "a bit humiliating" as other children "wondered why I was getting one-on-one lessons in a different room, why I didn't do exams with them, why I didn't come in some days, why I got to go home before them."
The Gladiator only began using public transport when he was 15 years old with the help of his support workers. He was "terrified" the entire time and "wore headphones so no-one would talk to me."
Gladiators and Strongman Career
Tom will appear in the fourth series of Gladiators, set to air on BBC One in 2027. He is replacing Gladiator Giant, real name Jamie Biggs, and Tom's show name has yet to be revealed. Tom is one of the UK's top athletes, having been crowned World's Strongest Man three times. He was the first Scottish athlete to win the title and is one of the most successful strongmen in history.
