Joel Dommett and Ellie Taylor have been crowned the winners of Gladiators Celebrity Champions after a tense finale.
The one-hour special saw Joel go head-to-head with comedian Rob Beckett, while Ellie faced a string of challenges with former BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin.
After facing the ultimate test of speed and strength up against the power of the Gladiators, the stars faced their fears in the iconic Eliminator.
Joel went into The Eliminator with a half second lead on Rob Beckett.
Both managed to overcome their fear of heights and successfully climb up the cargo net but it was Joel who ran to the top of the travelator first, bursting through the paper to become Gladiators Celebrity champion.
Speaking to host Barney Walsh after his win Joel said: ‘It was so tough, I knew Rob was there the entire time.
Joel Dommett and Ellie Taylor have been crowned the winners of Gladiators Celebrity Champions after a tense final
The one-hour special saw Joel go head-to-head with comedian Rob Beckett, while Ellie faced a string of challenges with former BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin
‘We’ve been so scared all day of that cargo net we’re both absolutely petrified of heights, the fact that we both did that I just feel like we’ve overcome something, it’s amazing.
‘I’ve dreamed of going up that travelator since I was nine years old and hearing the crowd roar and going up that travelator its likely genuinely a dream come true, thank you so much for having me, it’s been a pleasure.’
Louise had a two-second head start on Ellie in The Eliminator, but struggled to get over the first hurdle, so Ellie was able to take advantage and the lead as she swung through the paper to be crowned champion.
On winning Ellie told host Bradley Walsh: ‘I can’t believe I’ve just done that, I had such a wonderful time here with Louise, I’m really proud of myself.’
The physically challenging game show was resurrected by the BBC in January, 32-years after its original ITV launch and 16-years after Sky One scrapped an earlier revival.
Louise previously shared insight into filming and revealed she’d been left injured after getting kicked in the face: ‘I don’t know who cut my nose but there was blood’.
‘When they’re fighting you, you can’t feel the pain. But being tackled by them is like hitting a brick wall. I just had these extra-ordinarily powerful legs kicking out at me. Honestly, they’re units!’.
Meanwhile comedian Rob revealed how he did everything possible to leave host Bradley who presents alongside son Barney, 27, in stitches with a string of racy quips.
On winning Ellie told host Bradley Walsh: ‘I can’t believe I’ve just done that, I had such a wonderful time here with Louise, I’m really proud of myself’
Speaking to host Barney Walsh after his win Joel said: ‘It was so tough, I knew Rob was there the entire time’
Elsewhere actress Ellie, who appeared on 2022’s Strictly, concluded the Gladiators were much more scary than the BBC dancing show’s judges.
She joked: ‘I think the Gladiators, because the Strictly judges can’t hurt you. They can just emotionally destroy you. It’s different levels of pain.’
Ellie, who shares two children with husband Phil Black, also revealed she had a secret girl crush on Gladiator Fury, whose real name is Jodie Ounsley.
‘Luckily, she didn’t tackle me. I just got a little fireman’s carry and I felt like a dainty lady for once. And I got to play bongos on her bum! I love it, it’s really fun.’
In April, it was confirmed that Gladiators was set for a return to the BBC with a celebrity spin-off after the rebooted show became a ratings smash.
Its arrival on the prime time Saturday night schedule proved to be a ratings winner for the BBC, with 28 day viewing figures revealing 9.8million tuned in for the first episode.
The sizeable audience share turned it into the most successful launch for an entertainment show on the BBC in seven years, with an average 8.3million viewers watching across the entire eleven episodes.
The popular game show was originally broadcast on ITV from 1992 to 2000, before returning for a single series on Sky One in 2008.