Gladiator star battled eating disorder as pressure of athletics 'crippled him'

27 January 2024 , 20:24

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Gladiators star Matt Morsia said the pressure of athletics mentally crippled him (Image: WARNING: Use of this copyright image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture Service (BBC Pictures) as set out at www.bbcpictures.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/. In particular, this image may only be published by a registered User of BBC Pictures for editorial use for the purpose of publicising the relevant BBC programme, personnel or activity during the Publicity Period which ends three

Gladiators star Legend battled an eating disorder as he pursued his dream of competing in the Olympics.

Matt Morsia revealed he was locked in a starvation and bingeing cycle as he vied for a spot at the 2012 London Games. The triple jumper said he would essentially starve himself from Monday to Friday in preparation for events. After competing at weekends, he would binge uncontrollably, usually with a box of doughnuts to start.

Matt, 37, said: “I would put away 10,000 calories a day over those weekends. Sometimes I felt so full, I could hardly move and would lie on my bed feeling like I was going to vomit. I remember thinking it was weird at the time but I felt powerless to stop it.”

The father of two said the pressure of athletics mentally crippled him and his disorder became more extreme. Despite being lean, he said he was bigger than rivals and would almost starve himself for two weeks.

Matt said: “I was in no condition to be training the way I was during those weeks of extreme calorie restriction.”

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He told of his hopes of breaking the taboo on eating disorders in sport, saying some athletes are “killing themselves”.

In his 2020 book, The 24/7 Body, Matt described binge eating as a compulsion and an illness for many people. He also wrote: “There’s a total lack of support for young people in a lot of sports, many of which encourage – if not actively then implicitly – some kind of starvation or significant restriction of diet, and I certainly fell into this trap.”

Matt’s Olympic career was cut short by a back injury shortly before qualifiers for London 2012. He later took up powerlifting and won a silver medal at the European Championships in 2016. Matt, who shares sons Luca and Mauro with wife Sarah, previously shared photos of his physical transformation. And he recently described “training like a beast” for his role as Legend in Gladiators.

The 1990s hit series returned to our screens on BBC1 on January 13. Before his debut, Matt, from Hythe, Kent, said: “I could’ve spent the last two months eating doughnuts and playing Dungeons & Dragons and I’d still be better than everyone else. I’m called Legend for a reason.”

Amy Sharpe