Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey has announced his exciting return to the iconic BBC show, promising fans an explosive comeback.
The athlete, best known by his Gladiator name Nitro, shared the positive news exclusively, confirming he will be back for the highly anticipated third season of Gladiators, due to premiere on BBC One next year.
From Strictly Dance-Off to Gladiators Comeback
Harry's announcement comes after a challenging period that saw him become the sixth contestant eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2025. He was partnered with the show's longest-serving professional, Karen Hauer, and despite impressing judges with their routines, the couple found themselves in the dance-off against La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec.
In a unanimous decision, judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke chose to save the competing pair, ending Harry's Strictly journey.
This disappointment followed another setback for the star, who had to pull out of Gladiators season two after sustaining a training injury. Harry, explaining his absence to hosts Bradley and Barney Walsh, revealed: "Obviously you know I'm explosive, I'm powerful. Sometimes I'm too powerful, and I ended up hurting myself. I've got a little bit of a dodgy knee."
Nitro's Energising Return
Now fully recovered and ready for action, Harry expressed his enthusiasm for returning to the Gladiators arena. Speaking about his comeback, he declared: "I am back. Nitro [is coming] back. Literally just can't wait for you guys to see it. It's going to be amazing."
He highlighted the show's growing popularity across generations, noting: "It's building year on year and our family base is getting older and older. So ultimately, we've got new kids, aged five, coming seeing Gladiators for the first time. And then we've got the kids that watched the first series a year ago."
The star promised that the new season would be "bigger and better" with the Gladiators continuing to "bring the vibe" and "bring the energy." Harry added that while fellow Gladiator Epic filled in during his absence, Nitro's return would make things "feel right" again.
Gladiators Family Expands to Strictly
The news of Harry's return coincides with another Gladiators star joining the Strictly family. Jodie Ounsley, known as Fury on the show, has been confirmed for this year's Strictly Christmas Special, where she'll be partnered with professional dancer Neil Jones.
Jodie expressed her excitement about the opportunity, stating: "I'm absolutely buzzing to be doing the Strictly Christmas Special. Being the first female rugby player means a lot to me too. I honestly can't wait to get stuck in."
When asked which of his Gladiators colleagues he'd like to see on Strictly next, Harry suggested Viper, saying he'd like viewers to "see who he is" and "look behind the grimace" to understand the person behind the character.
Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer, while Gladiators returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer next year with Nitro back in action and ready to entertain fans of all ages.
