Who is Nitro? Gladiators 2025 star and Team GB sprinter
Nitro has been described as "one big ball of energy".
When Gladiators rebooted last year, Nitro proved to be a force to be reckoned with – and while he's still part of the team, an injury is set to take him out for the season 2 run.
The professional athletes, bodybuilders and personal trainers that make up the Gladiators squad are ready to take on brave members of the public in some wild challenges – literally giving their blood, sweat and tears to emerge victorious.
Describing his character Nitro, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey said: "He's world class energy. He's dancing and if he's not dancing, then he's performing, and if he's not performing, then he's taking someone down."
So, what else is there to know about Nitro? Read on for everything you need to know.
Nitro - Age, Instagram and stats
Real Name: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey
Age: 36
From: London
Height: 5ft 11in
Bicep: 44cm
Instagram: @aikines
Who is Nitro?
Harry 'Nitro' Aikines-Aryeetey is a Team GB sprinter who was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2005, after becoming the first athlete to win gold medals at both 100 metres and 200 metres at the World Youth Championships.
Nitro can do a standing vertical jump of 42 inches. That's higher than 10 drink cans!
Over the course of his career, Aikines-Aryeetey has won relay gold multiple times at European level and twice at the Commonwealth Games representing England.
Describing Nitro, Harry said he is "pure energy", adding: "he's explosive by nature and he does everything with a smile on his face."
He explained that Nitro is part of the Gladiators to "bring the good vibes".
What happened to Nitro in Gladiators?
In December 2024, Nitro revealed he will be forced to sit out most of season two after being injured in training.
Taking to Instagram, Harry explained: "Speed is my thing, but sometimes life throws a curveball!
"During training for series 2 earlier this year, I picked up an unexpected knee injury, which means I’ll be shifting gears this series and sitting out the events."
However, he assured fans he'll be back in action soon, and will still be a part of the show.
He wrote: "Don’t worry, I’m recharging and more energised than ever!
"You’ll still catch me bringing the Nitro spirit to your screens, hyping up my fellow Gladiators, and keeping the energy sky-high. Bring on series 2 of Gladiators!"
Where else have we seen Nitro?
As well as Gladiators, Harry has made several TV appearances to try out new things.
In 2021, he joined the likes of Duncan James, Drag Race UK's Cheryl Hole, and Love Island's Montana Brown for Celebs on The Farm season three. He was runner-up with Kerry Katona taking home the win.
In September last year, he competed on Celebrity MasterChef and made it to the finals, placing fourth while the series was eventually won by Strictly pro, Vito Coppola.
For Christmas 2024, he participated in the festive special of Strictly Come Dancing, following in the footsteps of Fire, aka Montell Douglas, who competed in the main series. He was partnered with Nancy Xu for the one-off.
Later this year, he will give hosting a go as he leads CBBC series Gladiators: Epic Pranks.
Gladiators returns on Saturday 18th January at 5:50pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
