Gladiator Electro's life off camera from childhood sprinter to fitness model

27 January 2024 , 18:00

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Electro says she has a "good mixture of speed and strength" (Image: @jade_packer/Instagram)

The new team of Gladiators are in full swing, with the BBC One reboot on its third episode this weekend. And one of the new strong men and women has promised to "light up the arena" with her incredible skills.

Gladiator Electro has the perfect formula of speed and strength with her background as a sprinter turned bodybuilder. Jade Packer was ranked among the top ten fastest runners in the UK for 150 metres at the age of 12 and went onto race 100m and 200m at championships.

The 25-year-old runner discovered a passion for bodybuilding at the age of 18 and went onto represent the UK after taking Gold at the English Grand Prix and winning four top three placings in the Wellness Category at the UKBFF. Jade now trains in CrossFit, saying the discipline helped her hone her athletic skills and works as an online fitness coach.

Jade is a successful fitness model and CrossFit athlete (@jade_packer/Instagram)

She says her sporting background makes her "confident in my abilities" as Electro

The fitness model picked the name Electro for her Gladiators alter ego, describing it as a "good mixture of speed and strength, much like lightning". "You don't know when or how hard I'm gonna strike and I like to look good while I do it too," she said.

"We are all athletes in our own right," added Electro. "As the show went on, we all got to grips more with the games and we knew exactly what we needed to put in. I was confident in my abilities."

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Jade, from Essex, is too young to remember the original Gladiators show which was a huge hit in the 1990s, presented by Ulrika Jonsson and John Fashanu, instead discovering the show through YouTube. The new BBC version, which is 11 episodes long, is presented by father and son duo Bradley and Bradley Walsh and features a mix of classic games like Duel and Hang Tough and some new events.

Electro (centre with a contender) and her fellow Gladiators Dynamite and Sabre

"I wanted to become a Gladiator because throughout my fitness journey, I was inspired by watching other people be inspiring in sport," she said. "I believe it's a good opportunity for the new generation to see people who potentially look like them, or who they can relate to and then get themselves into sport, wherever that may be, or just to realise that they can do things that they haven't imagined before."

Watch Gladiators on Saturdays at 5.50pm, BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Vikki White