Three-time World's Strongest Man Tom Stoltman has been announced as the newest BBC Gladiators cast member, replacing Giant Jamie Bigg on the show.
Giant breaks silence on replacement
Gladiators star Giant has broken his silence on being replaced. The athlete, real name Jamie Bigg, was dropped from the BBC competition earlier this year. He later claimed that he was axed because he wanted to go public with his girlfriend, an OnlyFans model.
The BBC has now confirmed a Scottish athlete, crowned The World's Strongest Man, will be joining Gladiators. Tom Stoltman, who stands at 6ft8in and weighs 400 pounds, has won the World Strongest Man competition three times, and will now face brave contenders in the BBC arena as he competes in games of speed, strength and skill alongside the likes of Legend and Nitro.
Stoltman and Bigg react
After sharing the announcement on social media, Jamie was among those sharing his support, reports Edinburgh Live. Tom, from Invergordon, Scotland, shared: “I’m so excited to become a Gladiator! And join the amazing Gladiator team. More news and exciting announcements coming soon.”
Jamie commented on the post, replying: “Well done brother, made up for you, you’ll kick some serious ass.”
In a statement, Tom had also said: “This is a dream opportunity and I’m incredibly proud to become a Gladiator. I’ve spent my life pushing myself to see what I can achieve, and joining this incredible show is the next challenge. I’m excited to bring my strength, determination and personality to the arena, but, most importantly, I want people watching to feel inspired to believe in themselves and take on their own challenges.”
Bigg's exit explained
Jamie had earlier spoken about his exit from Gladiators, telling Susanna Reid and Ed Balls on Good Morning Britain: "I had a very positive season three chat. I think season three was the best season yet, and like you said, [I was] a fan favourite on the show. At that time, they [were] aware of my relationship with Taylor and said they needed to explore avenues and have conversations about that. At a later point, I was told that the season four contract wasn't being renewed because of my relationship."
He went on: "It wasn't explained, I think you'll have to ask them for a statement on that as well, because my dismissal's been very unclear. That's why I'm here today, because I think it's very important that we get our side across. I think it's very important that fans of the show understand that Giant is a character on the show, and Jamie is a person that has a private relationship. And I feel like there's a big injustice here for fans of the show that haven't been given a voice or a decision in this matter."
He claimed it “wasn’t my choice” to leave, but that he was “faced with an ultimatum”. “I class myself as a role model and one of those values, as a role model, is to stick by the people I love. So, I decided [to leave], and I imagine other people in my situation would find it very hard to walk away from an amazing opportunity like being a Gladiator.”
Gladiators returns to BBC One and iPlayer later this year.
