A GLADIATORS finalist has been forced to quit the BBC show after a devastating injury in the semi-final.
Tonight saw the final four male and female contestants compete for a spot in next week’s final.
A Gladiators finalist has had to withdraw due to injury[/caption]
Aneila Afsar will replace Zavia Hill after she finished second to her during the semi-final[/caption]
In the women’s competition, Zavia Hill went head to head with Aneila Afsar.
However, she sustained an injury during the Powerball event after two hard tackles from the Gladiators.
Despite the injury, she pushed through and continued to compete in the remaining events, including the Eliminator.
Her determination paid off when she powered up the Travelator to win the semi-final and a place in next week’s final.
But after the episode aired, it was revealed that due to her injury, Zavia is unable to take part and has had to withdraw from the competition.
It means Aneila will take her place in final alongside fellow finalist Amanda Wah.
Speaking about her sudden addition to the final, Aneila said: “A lot of mixed emotions – bittersweet for sure.
“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.”
Asked if she had any words for Zavia, she added: “Zavia is 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.”
For the men’s competition, tonight’s semi-final saw Mus Dumbuya beat Nathan Bland for the final spot in the final.
Mus took the lead in the events, banking him a decent head start in the Eliminator, and he went on to break the series record previously set by Nathan.
He will take on Joe Fishburn in next weekend’s final.
Gladiators airs Saturdays on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
