Who won the Gladiators celebrity special 2024?
Who came out on top in the arena?
The Gladiators celebrity special saw four famous faces enter the arena – but only two could come out on top.
Kicking off the new year in style, Ted Lasso star and stand-up comedian Ellie Taylor, comedian and podcaster Rob Beckett, newsreader Louise Minchin and The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett tried to prove they had what it takes to beat the best.
With all of them wanting to make their mark on the show, the foursome put their strength, speed and agility to the test alongside the UK's most powerful and hard-as-nails athletes.
After a brutal string of games, Ellie Taylor and Joel Dommett emerged as this year's winners.
As Rob and Joel went head-to-head, Joel was just one point ahead of the former with 17 points. As they took on The Eliminator, Joel had a half-second lead on Rob and it all came down to one final challenge to be named the Gladiators celebrity champion.
Both contenders admitted they weren't big fans of heights so The Eliminator might have been wishful thinking for the pair, but as Joel steamed ahead, Rob was gaining on him.
In the end, it was Joel 'The Dominator' Dommett who swung through and won the game.
"It was so tough," Joel said after his win. "I knew Rob was there the entire time. We've been so scared all day, we're both petrified of heights. The fact that I did that, I just feel like we've overcome something amazing."
Then it was on to Ellie Taylor and Louise Minchin, with Louise four points ahead of Ellie with 25 points, giving her a two-second head start.
It was time for the female celebrities to take on The Eliminator and Ellie flew straight ahead as Louise struggled with the hurdles, with referees Mark and Sonia helping her get over them.
This put Ellie way ahead of Louise and it proved to work in her favour. While at times Louise threatened to catch up, Ellie was ultimately more speedy and flew through the final hurdle.
Speaking after her win, Ellie said: "I can't believe I've just done that! I've had such a wonderful time with Louise, it's been brilliant. I'm really proud of myself, I'm really proud of my pelvic floor – it's held out much better than I expected!"
The Gladiators Celebrity special is available now on BBC iPlayer.
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Authors
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.
