Gemma Atkinson ‘is in talks with Gladiators for celeb special and desperate to be on show’
STRICTLY and Hollyoaks star Gemma Atkinson is reportedly in talks to take part in the Gladiators celebrity special.
The 39-year-old star, who has also developed a side hustle as a fitness guru, is believed to be ‘desperate’ to take part after adoring the show as a youngster.
With the game now on to find stars willing to go head-to-head with the elite squad of gladiators on the show, The Mirror reports Gemma is dying for the job.
The site claims the actress, who has now also branched out to radio and influencing, specifically asked her team to reach out to people at the Beeb for a spot on the line-up.
“Gemma heard that a celebrity special was in the pipeline, and said to her agent she would love to be involved,” a source told the site.
“Gladiators was Gemma’s favourite show as a kid, and, because she’s so into fitness now, it would be her dream gig.
“Talks are ongoing – the show team are thrilled that she is so keen.”
The reports come after Gemma shared her love of the show, years before the reboot was even announced.
In 2018, Gemma posted a praising message for Gladiator icon Jet on Instagram, stating: “This lady here (Jet) was the reason I started going to the gym and training. I used to love Gladiators.”
When Gladiators returned in January, with Bradley Walsh and son Barney picking up hosting duties, it became an immediate Saturday night hit – with 8.7million viewers tuning in.
A second season was quickly greenlit, with applications now open for wannabe winners, with talks of a celebrity special also in the works, as confirmed by show producer Dan Baldwin.
“You always look at old shows no longer on television. You are always coming up with new ways of bringing back a show,” he told BBC Radio 4.
“There’s nothing wrong with that because those shows were great for a reason. We’ve always got an eye on what could come back and be a hit like Gladiators is.”
While Jet might no longer be part of the series, Gemma still has a team of new and worthy opponents she can try and defeat.