Gladiators star Fury, who was the youngest child ever in the UK to receive a cochlear implant aged 13-months, opens up about being the first deaf contender

Gladiators star Fury, real name Jodie Ounsley, spoke out about being the first deaf contender with Lorraine guest host Christine Lampard on Friday.

The professional Exeter Chiefs Rugby Player, who turned 23 on Sunday, joined Gladiators as ‘Fury’, a name she chose because of her power and passion for competition.

Jodie said on Lorraine: ‘I’ve always wanted to be a good person, a good athlete and now in the position I am in, I can be a role model and show children that you can powerful and strong and a badass, but you can do it while deaf.

She added: ‘I’ve always had a bit of fire in me to prove people wrong, whatever I’ve done I’ve always wanted to succeed and be competitive.’

In 2002, at age thirteen months, Jodie became the youngest person in the history of the country to be fitted with a cochlear implant.

Gladiators star Fury, real name Jodie Ounsley, spoke out about being the first deaf contender with Lorraine guest host Christine Lampard on Friday

In 2002, at age thirteen months, Jodie became the youngest person in the history of the country to be fitted with a cochlear implant

Now a rugby union player, the first deaf woman to represent the England 7s, Jodie wears the implant under her scrum cap while playing.

At the end of 2023, Jodie was left in tears when she tried on new technology from British start-up XRAI Glass.

She told company’s co-founder Mitchell Feldman: ‘That’s pretty amazing… As much as I love to embrace my deafness and be positive about it, it’s a really isolating place at times.

‘You miss out on a lot and it’s a mental journey trying to lip read. Something like this could really make it so much easier.’

A still-stunned Jodie later added: ‘I don’t usually get emotional, but I was so taken aback by XRAI Glass. Even with my cochlear implant, there are still many situations I really struggle with.’

Gladiators returned to television on January 13 on BBC and consists of eleven hour-long episodes.

Following Gladiators on Sky One (2008-2009), Gladiators (2024) is the second revival of the original Gladiators, which ran on ITV from 1992 to 2000.

Gladiators continues Saturdays at 5.50 pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. 

The professional Exeter Chiefs Rugby Player, who turned 23 on Sunday, joined Gladiators as ‘Fury’, a name she chose because of her power and passion for competition

She added: ‘I’ve always had a bit of fire in me to prove people wrong, whatever I’ve done I’ve always wanted to succeed and be competitive.’

The Gladiators. Left to right, top row: Legend, Fire, Bionic, Diamond, Nitro. Second row: Electro, Giant, Steel, Apollo, Comet; third: Viper, Athena, Fury, and Phantom; bottom: Sabre, Dynamite