Gabby Logan has confessed to feeling "scared" when she was being eyed for an iconic TV programme.
The popular television presenter, who turns 52 today (April 24), started her sporting career as a gymnast in high school. It led Gabby to represent Wales at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland at the age of 17.
However, her gymnastics career came to an abrupt halt due to a back injury and subsequent sciatica. Gabby however kept her passion for fitness, and was even offered the chance to join the original line-up of Gladiators, reports Wales Online.
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Speaking on the Mid.Point podcast, Gabby explained: "I remember when I was in my gap year, I was 19 and I was asked to go and do some weights to try out for the original Gladiators. I went to the gym to try and get myself strong because I was a gymnast but I hadn't competed for a while.
"I'd be the only girl there, trying to do the weights and there was hardly anybody else in the gym who looked like me. Also, I didn't know what I was doing so I was scared of the weights and scared of bulking up, that wasn't the body type that I was being shown all around me."
In response to Gabby's comments, Caroline Idiens from Caroline's Circuits threw light on common gym misconceptions, remarking: "A lot of people still feel this way, when you mention the word weights it's the guys in the gym with the huge biceps, the huge barbells, you are going to get really bulky and it's not for women."
Caroline expressed her enthusiasm for the increasing popularity of weightlifting, commenting: "It's not just about muscles and bones, it's about so much more than that, it's your posture, your balance, there's so many articles in the press at the minute about exercise for brain health, for your heart health and also, the biggest thing, is for your mood and how it makes you feel."
Gabby Logan moved away from Gladiators to forge a successful TV career elsewhere, initially joining 'n the Ball and standing out as one of the few female football presenters on terrestrial television. Gabby later transitioned to presenting Champions League action on ITV.
Her trajectory continued upwards when she started working with BBC Sport in 2007. Since then, she has been a face for major sports broadcasts, covering global spectacles such as the Olympic Games, World Cup, and Six Nations.
Come the end of the season, Gabby will step into the coveted role of hosting Match of the Day, succeeding Gary Lineker. Alongside her will be fellow presenters Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates.
The original series of Gladiators kicked off in 1992 and went on for eight series. A reboot was attempted by Sky One in 2001 stretching for another two series.
The BBC picked up the baton launching a second revival of Gladiators in 2024 with Bradley Walsh and his son Barney at the helm. Fans can look forward to more as the BBC has greenlit a third series for 2026.
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