Bronte Gladiators: Sheffield firefighter keen to return to BBC hit show after dramatic finale

Bronte Jones, who lives in Frecheville, lost to Marie-Louise Nicholson in the final of the BBC One show, which aired on Saturday.

Despite not winning the series, the 24-year-old firefighter, who works for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, was overwhelmed with the feedback she received from the Sheffield community.

She told The Star: “The whole experience was so positive, but I did feel disappointed to have let my supporters down.”

Bronte added that more people, mostly young children, have been recognising her as the show progressed.

“The whole thing has been a crazy whirlwind,” she said. “I love the entertainment side of it. I’ve not had any opportunities to continue performing

but I would jump at the chance.”

During Saturday night’s finale, Bronte suffered an ankle injury in the third event of the competition, tearing her anterior talo-fibular ligament. She admitted: “I’m very accident prone so it’s a miracle I lasted until the final.”

Bronte told The Star she is not put off from competing in the future and is pushing to be on Gladiators next year.

The BBC reboot has been a huge success, reeling in 8.7 million viewers across its first seven days on air. It is the second revival of the 1992 ITV series of the same name.

The show began on January 13 and spanned 11 weeks of challenges designed to push competitors to their limits.

Hosted by Bradley Walsh and his son Barney, it showed 16 competitors complete various challenges for the chance to be crowned Gladiators Champions. The show was filmed in June last year at the Utilita Arena Sheffield.

Bronte reached the final by battling her way past first Alex, a 29-year-old civil servant from Swindon, then Tasha, a 41-year-old school staff nurse from Ipswich, and finally Betti, a 31-year-old gym fitness trainer from Bolton, in the semi-final.

With filming for Gladiators having taken place last summer, Bronte is now busy preparing to run the Sheffield Half Marathon in memory of her boyfriend’s cousin Molly Midgley, who died tragically died aged just 27 of a rare cancer called adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC).

She and the rest of ‘Team Molly’ are raising money for Weston Park Cancer Charity.

To donate, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/teammollyfundraising.