GLADIATORS is the ultimate test of speed, strength and endurance – and two of its champions have paid the price.

Two of the plucky female Gladiators, Comet and Sabre, were forced out the games after suffering horror injuries.

Comet, real name Ella-Mae Rayner, broke her ankle and foot and has had to undergo an operation to rebuild her foot.

And Sabre, aka Sheli McCoy, tore her hamstring.

Former gymnast Comet has been branded ‘the new Jet’ as she shares similar looks with the legendary Nineties Gladiator.

Explaining her injury, she said: “Life is not about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving – right now, this quote couldn’t ring truer.

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“During the filming of one of the games I sustained a severe foot injury.

“Multiple scans and X-rays later I found out that I had broken my ankle and foot in multiple places, including the talus and something known as a lisfranc injury, ruptured 3 ligaments and dislocated a bone.

“I am now resting up following an operation to fix my foot and stabilise the broken bones.

“This is just a minor blip in the road and ignites the fire in me to come back better and stronger than ever before. ”

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Explaining her own journey, Sabre added: “Sometimes you are the hammer … sometimes you are the nail.

"Whilst filming for Gladiators I incurred a little battle injury – a hamstring tear.

“Up to that point, every single day was a blessing and every event an unforgettable experience that I would repeat in a second.

“The rehabilitation process is underway and going very well to date, with a lot of continued guidance from our fantastic physio Alfie.

“I’m no stranger to rehabilitation practice, running my own sports injury clinic and specialising in athlete recovery strategy and so I’m confident that these next few months will offer me an opportunity to focus on areas of imbalance, enjoy alternative training methods and document a recovery process for others to learn and be motivated by.”

Both women’s injuries occurred during filming for the BBC show at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield.

Whilst they both focus on recovery, the girls have praised the care of medics on set.

As the show is one of toughest and most physically demanding programmes on TV, the production team had a very robust health and safety policy in place as well as appropriate insurances.

Risk assessments were carried out for each of the games and both the Gladiators and contenders underwent extensive training with experts.

A doctor, paramedics, technicians, physios and a trained Health and Safety advisor were all present on set every day as well as two private ambulances – which fortunately never had to be used.

A spokesman for the BBC said: “The health and well-being of all Gladiators, contenders and crew is of paramount importance. Gladiators is one of the toughest and most physically demanding programmes on TV and due to the high-impact nature of the show it is not unusual for those competing to suffer injuries.

"In each instance, as soon as it became apparent that a potential injury had occurred, the correct protocol was immediately followed.

"The injured Gladiators are currently following medical advice and working on their recoveries.”

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