GLADIATORS

STAR ON HER NEW ZEST FOR LIFE

- BY ZARA ZUBEIDI

Jodie Ounsley - aka Fury on Gladiators - has compared the new series of the hit BBC1 show to going into battle.

But as a former England rugby pro, Brazilian jiu-jitsu British champion and five times World Coal Carrying winner, she is used to competing under extreme pressure.

In 2024, Jodie joined the starting lineup of powerhouses for the show's reboot after an eight-year hiatus, and was named in honour of her power and passion for competition.

But life hasn't been easy for the 25-year-old. She was born profoundly deaf and became one of the youngest people in the UK to be fitted with a cochlear implant, having surgery at just 14 months old.

Jodie considers her disability a "superpower" and takes a lot of pride in being someone youngsters can look up to.

She says: "I think I underestimated the impact being a Gladiator could have. Kids might not have an understanding of what it's like to be deaf, or what a deaf person looks like.

"They might see someone in their class with an implant and think, 'That's what Fury's got. It's just about normalising it and having those conversations. Or I'll hear a story about a girl getting bullied. She'll go, 'Right, what would Fury do? I'm going to be strong and stand up for myself'.