Sprinter, Gladiator... and now he's ‘Mr Rumba'

OLYMPIC sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey is wowing the Strictly Come Dancing crowd with a whole new kind of footwork after swapping his spikes for sequins.

- BY NIKKI ONAFUYE

The 36-year-old athlete - a former World Championship medallist and now the high-octane Nitro on BBC's Gladiators reboot - admits he has had to completely retrain for the ballroom. But, with a little help from pro partner Karen Hauer, he's getting there.

"I run 100 metres in a straight line," Harry says of his athletics career. "Now I've got to stare at Karen's forehead and imagine she's a chocolate fondant. That's how I get into the moment!

Karen, 43, bursts into laughter. "I didn't know that's what was going through your head!" she says. "No wonder you've been smiling all week."