Gladiator star Fury, whose real name is Jodie Ounsley, is well-known for her rugby career and her sporting achievements.
The star is swapping the rugby pitch to compete in the famous Gladiators arena. She revealed that her ‘biggest reason’ for signing up for the show is because her dad was a contender on the show in 2008.
Speaking to the BBC, she said: “The biggest reason (for signing up) is because my dad was a contender in a previous series, so Gladiators has been a big part of our family since I was little. I loved watching how physical the Gladiators were but then I also loved watching my dad go through the process as well, so he’s clearly been a massive influence and it’s pretty cool that I can do it too.”
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Jodie has since been training to outdo him and when she was younger she dressed up as a Gladiator and practised in her living room. She added: “Watching Gladiators growing up I was always in awe of their strength and power and now I am one! I hope contenders are ready to feel the Fury.”
(Image: Jodie Ounley/Instagram)
Is Jodie Ounsley deaf?
Jodie is from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and was born prematurely. She needed medication which impacted her hearing and became profoundly deaf. She had a cochlear implant as a toddler, becoming the youngest person in the country to undergo the procedure.
Jodie’s sporting career
Jodie started her sporting career as a rugby star. At the age of 15 she made her debut for Yorkshire just a few months after taking up the sport. She studied at Shelley College and after taking up rugby she quickly became the top try-scorer with Sandal Girls RUFC.
During her youth years, Jodie was also crowned junior world coal-carrying champion on four occasions, won five sprint titles at the Deaf Athletics Championship and collected a gold medal at the British Open Brazilian Jui-Jitsui finals.
She went on to play for Sale Sharks and got a contract with England Sevens in 2019. She was the world’s first-ever deaf female rugby sevens player to be selected for a full international and the first deaf female rugby player to play for a senior England side.
Jodie won the title of Deaf Sports Personality of The Year in 2020.
(Image: BBC)
Jodie is an ambassador for The Elizabeth Foundation charity, a pre-school nursery for deaf children and is also the Honorary President of UK Deaf Sport. In 2023 she was named among Woman’s Hour Power List 2023 Women in Sport.
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