BBC Gladiators star Bionic has shared harrowing details of a serious car accident that left him with severe injuries and abruptly ended his promising football career.
The Accident That Changed Everything
Matty Campbell, known to millions as Gladiator Bionic on the BBC's revived hit show, was just 17 years old when the crash occurred. The aspiring footballer was a passenger in a friend's car when the incident happened, resulting in what he described as "multiple injuries".
"I had multiple injuries, including a punctured lung, broken ribs and a badly broken ankle," Campbell revealed during a candid interview on BBC's The One Show last year. "I couldn't walk."
Football Dreams Shattered
Prior to the life-altering crash, football was "everything" to the young athlete. He had already undertaken trials at professional clubs including Peterborough United, Derby County, and Middlesbrough, and was on the cusp of turning his professional dreams into reality.
The physical toll was immense, but Campbell also spoke openly about the impact on his mental health, which "suffered" in the aftermath. He admitted that the period around mid-2022 marked his "lowest ebb", as he grappled with the loss of his planned future in sport.
"Football was over," he stated bluntly, acknowledging the definitive end of that career path.
From Rehabilitation to Gladiators Arena
His long road to recovery began with learning to walk again. It was during this rehabilitation process that he discovered the gym, a pursuit that would unknowingly set him on a completely new trajectory. "I struggled to walk again, but being in rehab got me hooked on the gym," he explained, though he added, "I didn't know what I was going to do with my life."
Footage of his intensive gym training, which he shared online, eventually caught the eye of producers for the Gladiators reboot. The iconic show, originally a smash hit in the 1990s, was being revived by the BBC.
The producers reached out, and Campbell successfully auditioned for the role of Bionic. The show is presented by Bradley Walsh and his son Barney. Filming for the first series took place at Sheffield Arena in 2023.
Campbell found that preparing for the Gladiator role gave his gym sessions a "new purpose". He made his television debut when the first series launched in January 2024.
A Triumphant Return to Screens
The revival proved to be a major success for the BBC, leading to a second series in early 2025. The show is now set to return for its highly anticipated third series this weekend.
Gladiators returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday, January 17, from 5.45pm. For the 30-year-old star, his journey from a devastating crash that halted one dream to becoming a beloved figure on a prime-time television show stands as a powerful testament to resilience and reinvention.
