Latest news with #Gladiators'
Edinburgh Live
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Bradley Walsh and son Barney announce huge career update
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Bradley Walsh and his son Barney have caused quite a stir on social media with an exciting career update. The popular BBC show, Gladiators, is set to come back for a third run and will include a new celebrity edition. They're gearing up to shoot 11 fresh episodes plus a star-packed special at the Sheffield arena. Slated for broadcast on BBC in 2026, the announcement proudly declared: "Get ready to feel the power again! Gladiators will return for a brand-new series and Celebrity Special in 2026." Enthusiastic fans were quick to express their joy in the comments section, with kaiteyblair posting: "Brilliant news. One of the very best things about Saturday nights." (Image: BBC) Adding to the excitement, Harlequinsummer said: "I am so excited, you guys are amazing every single one of you, and I love you to bits." Autistic_singer4 eagerly commented: "OH WE ARE SO BACK! ! Can't wait to cheer on Giant, Fire, Hammer, Cyclone, Fury, and Nitro again!" Viewers can look forward to the return of Gladiators' superheroes Apollo, Athena, Bionic, Comet, Cyclone, Diamond, Dynamite, Electro, Fire, Fury, Giant, Hammer, Legend, Nitro, Phantom, Sabre, Steel, and Viper who are all expected to make a comeback. Nitro's return is much anticipated following his knee injury which saw him benched during the second season's training sessions. (Image: BBC) The blurb teases: "The competition promises to be hotter than ever with brand new events to look forward to plus four more brave celebrities will be taking on the toughest test on TV as they enter the arena in a bid to prove they have the power to succeed and emerge victorious." Dan Baldwin, head honcho at Hungry Bear Media, expressed his excitement, declaring: "We have been absolutely blown away by the reception Gladiators has received from families up and down the country. "It has become a HUGE part of Saturday night viewing on the BBC. We are extremely excited to deliver another series, so expect even more spandex, hairspray, protein shakes and fake tan this summer in Sheffield!" Look out for Gladiators season 3 hitting screens on the BBC come 2026.
Wales Online
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Soccer Aid star Livi Sheldon's life as Gladiators' Diamond, fitness guru fiance and football past
Soccer Aid star Livi Sheldon's life as Gladiators' Diamond, fitness guru fiance and football past 'Diamond' is out for revenge as she takes to the pitch at Old Trafford for this year's Soccer Aid Sheldon soared to fame on Gladiators but dreamt of becoming a professional footballer Soccer Aid is back for 2026 with a host of famous faces from the world of sport, music and entertainment taking to the Old Trafford pitch to raise money for UNICEF. After winning the title for the first time in eight years last time out, England are looking to defend their crown, with the likes of Tom Grennan, Louis Tomlinson and Dame Denise Lewis joining forces with football legends including Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville for the Three Lions. However, they are up against an impressive World XI side that has called in a host of stars from the beautiful game, including Rivaldo, Carlos Tevez, Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic and Leonardo Bonucci. The football stars will be joined by famous faces like Tony Bellew, Martin Compston, Bryan Habana, Richard Gadd and Gorka Marquez. Also joining the World XI is Livi Sheldon - perhaps better known to viewers as Diamond from the hit BBC reboot of Gladiators. The 31-year-old, who made her Soccer Aid debut last year, is out for revenge to help her team steal back the title from England and is well-equipped to do so, having been a keen footballer since an early age. Article continues below Having initially played for a boys' side she eventually moved over to a girls' team, where she was captain for many years. Sheldon also played for her local team Worcester City Ladies as a midfielder and was again named skipper, before later leaving football behind and moving into bodybuilding and personal training. "I played from the age of six, up until around the time I was at college - around 18, 19," she told Forbes last year, as she revealed she had trained with Worcester City again after being called in to play at Soccer Aid. "Then I actually had another little stint for a couple of years when I was 23 or 24. And then I didn't kick a ball until I got asked to play Soccer Aid!" "It's been a while but I've been practising lots and Worcester City have been really helpful with letting me train with them again." She added: "I would absolutely have loved to be a professional footballer. The opportunities the girls have now... "At Worcester City, they have a development squad there now which bring young girls and boys up from the age of six, and bring them through the different age groups. "The pathways they have there for different teams is just incredible so I think if I was young Liv playing now, I think she may have well been a professional footballer." After starting weight training aged 18, the 6ft star can now squat a huge 120kg, while her bodybuilding career saw her reach the final of the 'England Toned Figure' competition. Article continues below She now lives in Worcester with her fiancé Grant Gibbs, with the pair both working as online personal trainers. Gibbs describes himself as a "body transformation and mindset coach", while Sheldon runs her own training app called LivFitness.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
IAF's Apache chopper makes emergency landing in Punjab; no injuries reported; second such incident since 2019 induction
An Indian Air Force Apache helicopter made an emergency landing in a field in Punjab's Pathankot district due to a technical malfunction. The helicopter, which took off from the Pathankot airbase, is part of the 125-Helicopter Squadron. CHANDIGARH: One of the Apache helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) narrowly escaped on Friday after it developed a technical snag and landed in a field in open fields of a village in the Pathankot district of Punjab. It was the second emergency landing of a US-made Apache helicopter in Punjab since its formal induction by the IAF in September 2019 at one of its forward bases in Pathankot. According to initial information, the chopper took off from the Pathankot airbase. No loss of life or injuries were reported. The area falls within the Nangal Bhur police station in the Pathankot district of Punjab. The security personnel have cordoned off the area. Codenamed AH-64E, the Apache has a spectrum of capabilities required for any mission requirement. The first batch of Apache helicopters was formally inducted into the IAF's inventory at the Pathankot airbase in September 2019 and is part of the 125-Helicopter Squadron, popularly known as the 'Gladiators' of the IAF. This advanced flying machine has been deployed at the Pathankot airbase, which faced a terrorist attack in January 2016. It is one of the strategically most important forward air bases of the IAF during war and for peacetime surveillance. The official confirmation of the incident is yet to be made by the IAF. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
The Herald Scotland
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Erin McGarrachan: The reality of retirement still hasn't sunk in
Her journey has taken her from her hometown of Cumbernauld across the Atlantic and back and despite encountering a few obstacles, McGarrachan is in little doubt that the highs far outnumber the lows in a career that has lasted considerably longer than she anticipated. McGarrachan struts into retirement off the back of not only one of her most successful seasons personally, but also a history-making season for the club with which she's spent the past three seasons, Caledonia Gladiators. In winning the women's side's first-ever silverware in the shape of the Trophy Finals title in January, McGarrachan and her teammates wrote themselves into the history books and this result, as well as a fourth place Championship finish and a run to the Playoffs semi-finals, ensure McGarrachan is departing on a high which has, she admits, made walking away marginally easier 'Being retired still feels surreal and it's not fully sunk in yet,' Gladiators' captain says. 'The reality hit me when we finished our final game of the season last Saturday - I don't usually get emotional but when the final whistle went, I really did tear up because the realisation hit me that my final game was over. 'I couldn't have asked for a better season to finish on, though, and I feel like I got everything out of this last season that I could ever have dreamed of. 'I have had moments of wondering if retiring was the right thing, like when I've had really good practices or when I was really enjoying the moment with my teammates, but I've been reminded on more than one occasion when my whole body's aching that it probably is time to step away.' As a teenager, McGarrachan was singled-out as a promising talent and a basketball scholarship at the University of Texas El Paso duly followed. It was here, though, that she encountered the first significant challenge of her career. 'When I went to college in the States, I thought it was going to be great but at the end of my first year, the coach sat me down and told me I was a great person and a great student, but I wasn't going to be a basketball player in her programme,' McGarrachan recalls. 'I was young and had all these hopes and dreams so to have someone telling you you're never going to make it was really tough. 'But I had a lot of good people around me who told me that even though she didn't think I was going to make it, that didn't mean I couldn't go elsewhere and be successful.' Go somewhere else was exactly what McGarrachan did, transferring to Houston Baptist University where she forged a stellar collegiate career, with a particular highlight being her side's run to the Conference Final. By this point, McGarrachan had caught the eye of the GB selectors and, despite a year on the sidelines due to a serious foot injury, she was well on her way to forging a successful professional career. Stints with English side, Leicester Riders, and BK Duchess in Austria followed but, as the Covid pandemic took over the globe in 2020, McGarrachan effectively retired, choosing to pursue a career in accountancy. Until, that is, a call came from offices of the newly formed Scottish professional team, Caledonia Gladiators. (Image: Caledonia Gladiators) McGarrachan's decision to return to top-level basketball wasn't immediate, but it ultimately became what she calls a 'no-brainer'. 'It was Lisa Palombo (Gladiators' Head of WBBL) who said to me about this professional club being started up, and asked, was I going to let that opportunity pass me by?,' McGarrachan says. 'Coming back to basketball wasn't an easy decision, though, because I was already old to be starting my accountancy career so it wasn't as simple as just walking away from a regular job to go back and play basketball, which has a shelf life. 'But, ultimately, I realised what an opportunity it was to join Gladiators and I'm so glad I did go back to basketball.' McGarrachan is too modest to shout about the influence she's had on basketball, especially the women's game, but her impact is undeniable. Caledonia Gladiators as a club, and the women's team specifically, has become a significant force within British basketball, with McGarrachan a major player in the transformation of the sport over the past decade. And she admits reflecting on the journey the sport has taken, and her part in it, is quite breath-taking. 'When I played in England, the difference between how the men's and the women's teams were treated was very prevalent whereas when I look at what we've got here in Scotland, there's absolutely no difference between how the men and women are treated, and that's amazing,' she says. 'In the past three years at Gladiators, the women's fan base has grown tenfold, and the greatest thing is there's a lot of young kids coming to see our games. 'I never set out to be a role model, I just really enjoyed playing basketball, but to have turned into one is incredible. 'It gives you such a massive boost knowing that you're not just running up and down a court after a ball, there is a wider, more meaningful purpose.' With basketball having been both a constant and a dominant presence in McGarrachan's life for so many years, she has little doubt as to the hole retirement will leave. And having been surrounded by teammates all her career, she admits the prospect of being without them is somewhat daunting. 'There's no question I'm going to miss the sport massively,' she says. 'I think I'll always be an active person, but you just don't get that same high from anything else that you get in competition. 'And there's the interaction with your teammates and with the fans. You just can't replace that. 'You have a special connection to your teammates because you have to work with them to make the magic happen. They always have your back, you go through the highs and lows together, and you're always there for each other, so I'll miss having that.' Having already joined the accountancy department at the business of the club's owners, the Timoneys, McGarrachan's future remains at Caledonia Gladiators and although she's ruling out a move into the coaching sphere for now, she's more than aware that she'd be a fool to predict too far into the future. 'I have the best of all worlds by being able to stay involved in basketball and also continue my accountancy career,' she says. 'Coaching has never really appealed to me, although who knows how I'll feel in the future. 'Basketball will always be in my life, whether that's as a fan, a coach, a mentor or anything else, but it does have a way of pulling me back in.'
The National
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Erin McGarrachan: The reality of retirement still hasn't sunk in
Over the past decade-and-a-half, McGarrachan has dedicated her life to basketball, becoming Scotland's most successful-ever female basketball player and playing a significant role in transforming women's basketball in this country. At the age of 33, however, McGarrachan has decided now's the time to call it a day at the highest level. Her journey has taken her from her hometown of Cumbernauld across the Atlantic and back and despite encountering a few obstacles, McGarrachan is in little doubt that the highs far outnumber the lows in a career that has lasted considerably longer than she anticipated. McGarrachan struts into retirement off the back of not only one of her most successful seasons personally, but also a history-making season for the club with which she's spent the past three seasons, Caledonia Gladiators. In winning the women's side's first-ever silverware in the shape of the Trophy Finals title in January, McGarrachan and her teammates wrote themselves into the history books and this result, as well as a fourth place Championship finish and a run to the Playoffs semi-finals, ensure McGarrachan is departing on a high which has, she admits, made walking away marginally easier 'Being retired still feels surreal and it's not fully sunk in yet,' Gladiators' captain says. 'The reality hit me when we finished our final game of the season last Saturday - I don't usually get emotional but when the final whistle went, I really did tear up because the realisation hit me that my final game was over. 'I couldn't have asked for a better season to finish on, though, and I feel like I got everything out of this last season that I could ever have dreamed of. 'I have had moments of wondering if retiring was the right thing, like when I've had really good practices or when I was really enjoying the moment with my teammates, but I've been reminded on more than one occasion when my whole body's aching that it probably is time to step away.' As a teenager, McGarrachan was singled-out as a promising talent and a basketball scholarship at the University of Texas El Paso duly followed. It was here, though, that she encountered the first significant challenge of her career. 'When I went to college in the States, I thought it was going to be great but at the end of my first year, the coach sat me down and told me I was a great person and a great student, but I wasn't going to be a basketball player in her programme,' McGarrachan recalls. 'I was young and had all these hopes and dreams so to have someone telling you you're never going to make it was really tough. 'But I had a lot of good people around me who told me that even though she didn't think I was going to make it, that didn't mean I couldn't go elsewhere and be successful.' Go somewhere else was exactly what McGarrachan did, transferring to Houston Baptist University where she forged a stellar collegiate career, with a particular highlight being her side's run to the Conference Final. By this point, McGarrachan had caught the eye of the GB selectors and, despite a year on the sidelines due to a serious foot injury, she was well on her way to forging a successful professional career. Stints with English side, Leicester Riders, and BK Duchess in Austria followed but, as the Covid pandemic took over the globe in 2020, McGarrachan effectively retired, choosing to pursue a career in accountancy. Until, that is, a call came from offices of the newly formed Scottish professional team, Caledonia Gladiators. (Image: Caledonia Gladiators) McGarrachan's decision to return to top-level basketball wasn't immediate, but it ultimately became what she calls a 'no-brainer'. 'It was Lisa Palombo (Gladiators' Head of WBBL) who said to me about this professional club being started up, and asked, was I going to let that opportunity pass me by?,' McGarrachan says. 'Coming back to basketball wasn't an easy decision, though, because I was already old to be starting my accountancy career so it wasn't as simple as just walking away from a regular job to go back and play basketball, which has a shelf life. 'But, ultimately, I realised what an opportunity it was to join Gladiators and I'm so glad I did go back to basketball.' McGarrachan is too modest to shout about the influence she's had on basketball, especially the women's game, but her impact is undeniable. Caledonia Gladiators as a club, and the women's team specifically, has become a significant force within British basketball, with McGarrachan a major player in the transformation of the sport over the past decade. And she admits reflecting on the journey the sport has taken, and her part in it, is quite breath-taking. 'When I played in England, the difference between how the men's and the women's teams were treated was very prevalent whereas when I look at what we've got here in Scotland, there's absolutely no difference between how the men and women are treated, and that's amazing,' she says. 'In the past three years at Gladiators, the women's fan base has grown tenfold, and the greatest thing is there's a lot of young kids coming to see our games. 'I never set out to be a role model, I just really enjoyed playing basketball, but to have turned into one is incredible. 'It gives you such a massive boost knowing that you're not just running up and down a court after a ball, there is a wider, more meaningful purpose.' With basketball having been both a constant and a dominant presence in McGarrachan's life for so many years, she has little doubt as to the hole retirement will leave. And having been surrounded by teammates all her career, she admits the prospect of being without them is somewhat daunting. 'There's no question I'm going to miss the sport massively,' she says. 'I think I'll always be an active person, but you just don't get that same high from anything else that you get in competition. 'And there's the interaction with your teammates and with the fans. You just can't replace that. 'You have a special connection to your teammates because you have to work with them to make the magic happen. They always have your back, you go through the highs and lows together, and you're always there for each other, so I'll miss having that.' Having already joined the accountancy department at the business of the club's owners, the Timoneys, McGarrachan's future remains at Caledonia Gladiators and although she's ruling out a move into the coaching sphere for now, she's more than aware that she'd be a fool to predict too far into the future. 'I have the best of all worlds by being able to stay involved in basketball and also continue my accountancy career,' she says. 'Coaching has never really appealed to me, although who knows how I'll feel in the future. 'Basketball will always be in my life, whether that's as a fan, a coach, a mentor or anything else, but it does have a way of pulling me back in.'
