Gladiators contestant quits days before the final 🔥

The leg injury happened during the semi-final but was revealed to be worse than initially thought once the contestant returned home

A contestant from BBC One’s Gladiators has had to pull out of the show moments before the final due to a ‘devastating’ injury.

Zavia Hill, a personal trainer from Manchester, was hit during one of the games on the BBC One show’s semi-final, and at first it seemed like she would continue.

She was treated by a physiotherapist backstage and made it to the final leg, an assault course called The Eliminator, taking home the win, but later had to withdraw.

Her place will be taken by the fastest female runner-up from the semi-finals, Aneila Afsar, a supply teacher also from Manchester, who has broken barriers as the “first Muslim woman on the show”.

Sharing the heartbreaking news, Zavia said: “Reaching the final felt special, I usually give up when I feel like I’ve failed.

“After injuring my leg in the Gauntlet, I convinced myself I was out. But at the start of the Eliminator, I thought, not this time. Give it your all, girl.”

She also said that during the Gauntlet game, where Gladiators try to prevent contenders passing with the aide of power-pads, she “knew my time on the show was probably over, I was devastated”.

Zavia realised how bad her injury was after the semi-final, as she revealed: “I got very emotional after I realised I’d hurt my leg as bad as I did. When I got home and the adrenaline had worn off, I realised I could hardly move my leg but on the plus side, I got to watch the final from the front row and cheer both of my friends on.”

However, there’s no bad blood between the contestants as Zavia urged Aneila to do “Manchester proud”, as she said performing in the arena herself made her feel “like a butterfly with newfound confidence”.

Aneila said reaching the final was “bittersweet”, and added: “Anyone who’s been following the show knows how badly I wanted to make it to the final, but this isn’t the way I wanted to get there. At the same time, I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity and so excited for what’s ahead.”

She went onto praise Zavia, and labelled her as “an incredible contender and an even better person. It’s an honour to represent her and I’ll actually be wearing some of her gems in the final”.

With first place just in reach for the star, Aneila admitted: “Winning Gladiators would be amazing. I’m a competitive person and a former pro-athlete so I’m always in it to win it.”

As previously mentioned, Aneila will be the first Muslim woman to compete on Gladiators, as she exclaimed: “But honestly, just getting here is huge.

“I’ve already broken so many barriers as the first Muslim woman on the show, and now being in the final is incredible. I know that my presence alone will have a positive impact on Muslim women, and that means everything to me.”

Gladiators: Grand Final is on April 12 at 5.50pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.