A Gladiators star mentioned he is “by no means been extra cautious” as he opened up about what it is actually prefer to be a part of the present. Talking forward of the programme’s return subsequent week, Alex Grey – often called Apollo – mentioned “the accountability” that accompanies his position and why he tries to “keep out of bother”.
When requested if he makes use of any courting apps, he admitted: “I am gonna be sincere with you, I’ve most likely by no means been extra wished in my life, however I’ve by no means been extra cautious.
“There is a accountability that comes with being a Gladiator and I do not take it evenly.
“You understand, I like taking part in as much as the parable of Apollo however on the identical time, I wanna be a good individual and after I’m not on the present, I prefer to hold out of bother as a lot as I can.”
Highlighted by The Guardian’s Helen Pitt, there’s additionally a stringent rule in place for all Gladiators.
She writes: “After Gregg Wallace-gate and varied Strictly scandals, the BBC can’t afford any whiff of controversy round one other prime-time present. That is why the Gladiators are drug examined every season.”
Gregg was dropped from MasterChef by the BBC and manufacturing firm Banijay UK final yr, having co-hosted the present with John Torode for 20 years.
This got here after an unbiased evaluation, commissioned by MasterChef’s producers and carried out by legislation agency Lewis Silkin, which examined 83 allegations of inappropriate conduct levelled towards the chef over quite a few years.
The investigation upheld 45 of these complaints, predominantly regarding inappropriate sexual language and jokes, with at the least one occasion involving undesirable bodily contact.
The chef later launched a press release saying he’s “deeply sorry for any misery” brought about and that he “by no means got down to hurt or humiliate”.
In the meantime, John Torode was dismissed from his place following an upheld grievance alleging his use of “a particularly offensive racist time period”.
Responding to the accusation, the chef issued a press release claiming he had “no recollection” of the incident.
He continued: “I wish to be clear that I’ve all the time had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any surroundings. I am shocked and saddened by the allegation as I might by no means want to trigger anybody any offence.”
In the meantime, Strictly Come Dancing has additionally encountered its personal share of controversy lately – starting from disputes between dancing duos and alleged substance abuse.
The broadcaster confirmed it’s inspecting the drug-use allegations with an exterior legislation agency. To this point, no people have been publicly recognized or charged, and the investigation continues.
In 2025, participant Wynne Evans attracted consideration after he was accused of constructing a sexualised remark in entrance of fellow contestants on the Strictly tour.
He mentioned on the time, stating: “My language was inappropriate and unacceptable, for which I sincerely apologise.”
The BBC subsequently mentioned it had obtained no complaints on the time, however emphasised to Wynne that such conduct just isn’t tolerated.
As a part of enhanced duty-of-care measures, the BBC carried out the usage of chaperones in Strictly rehearsal rooms in 2024.
This transfer was prompted by wider considerations relating to participant welfare, notably following the well-publicised dispute between Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice, who has since withdrawn from his position on the present.
