Two Gladiators have been forced out of the reboot of the 90s challenge series after sustaining injuries.
The upcoming BBC show, hosted by Bradley Walsh and his son Barney, comes more than 20 years after the ITV original and is set to see 16 players battle it out in several strength and speed challenges.
However, two female recruits, Comet and Sabre, have revealed they had to hang up their helmets after suffering a hamstring tear and a broken ankle while taking part.
Ella-Mae Rayner, who was competing under the guise of Comet, announced on Instagram that she broke her ankle and foot while filming and has undergone an operation to stabilise her broken bones.
“Life is not about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving - right now, this quote couldn’t ring truer,” she captioned her post.
“During the filming of one of the games I sustained a severe foot injury.
“Multiple scans and X-rays later I found out that I had broken my ankle and foot in multiple places, including the talus and something known as a lisfranc injury, ruptured three ligaments and dislocated a bone.
“I am now resting up following an operation to fix my foot and stabilise the broken bones.
“This is just a minor blip in the road and ignites the fire in me to come back better and stronger than ever before.”
Fellow competitor Sabre, real name Sheli McCoy, is also resting up after tearing her hamstring.
Alongside a photograph of herself using crutches, she wrote on Instagram: “Sometimes you are the hammer … sometimes you are the nail.
“Whilst filming for Gladiators I incurred a little battle injury - a hamstring tear.
“Up to that point, every single day was a blessing and every event an unforgettable experience that I would repeat in a second.”
Sheli continued her post by confirming that her rehabilitation process is going “very well”, adding that she’s confident that the next few months will “offer me an opportunity to focus on areas of imbalance, enjoy alternative training methods and document a recovery process for others to learn and be motivated by”.
HuffPost UK understands that contingencies such as injuries occurring are always considered in advance of the recording and that the production team has a robust Health and Safety policy in place.
The Gladiators and contenders underwent extensive training with experts who taught them the health and safety aspects of each game and a doctor, paramedics, technicians, physios and a trained Health and Safety advisor were all present on set every day as well as two private ambulances.
In a statement the BBC said: “The health and well-being of all Gladiators, contenders and crew is of paramount importance.
“Gladiators is one of the toughest and most physically demanding programmes on TV and due to the high-impact nature of the show it is not unusual for those competing to suffer injuries.
“In each instance, as soon as it became apparent that a potential injury had occurred, the correct protocol was immediately followed.
“The injured Gladiators are currently following medical advice and working on their recoveries.”