The oldest contestant to ever take part in the show, who has finally been eliminated, has said his mission is to ‘inspire’ future generations following his brave exit.
Paul Campbell, 58, from Millhouses Sheffield, but who was 57 when filming for the show took place, lost out to fellow contestant Dev, 30, from Essex for a spot in the quarter final stage of the competition.
Paul said: “I want to inspire more than one person. I want to inspire thousands but one will do and one is a start. If I can inspire one person, then mission accomplished!”
“The contestants were all very confident in their own ability, but equally you see the Gladiators for the first time and you think ‘WOW‘, maybe I’m not so confident,” said Mr Campbell.
Speaking on his experience from the show, Mr Campbell encouraged people to ‘go for it’ and to ‘aim for the stars’.
The father-of-three, and grandfather to five grandchildren, said: “I was on the show on Saturday, and I’ve had so many people message and comment about my age, which I hope has inspired people.”
The show, hosted by father and son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh, sees a new generation of Gladiators face off against contenders in a series of challenges, including fan favourite, ‘The Eliminator’.
Applications for BBC One’s Gladiators surpassed 15,000, with over twenty competitors being chosen to compete.
Competitors for the show include former Team GB sprinter and Olympic bobsledder Montell ‘Fire’ Douglas, who was a key member of the British team to hold the record for the fastest 100m sprint at 11.05 seconds.
Mr Campbell, a 58 year-old hygiene product tradesman, was originally unaware that production of the show was starting.
He thanked his niece for encouraging him to apply, saying: “without my niece, I probably would never have got on the show.
“I got lucky and I’m incredibly grateful to my family. I’ve learnt that people put people together and my family is important to me. We are all a unit,” added Mr Campbell.
The next episode of Gladiators is this Saturday, with previous episodes in the eleven-part series available via the BBC iPlayer app.