There’s a new star in the ‘Gladiators‘ universe, and she goes by the name of Comet, also known as Ella-Mae Rayner. As we gear up for the new season hitting our screens on BBC 1, let’s take a closer look into the life of this fiery new Gladiator.
Ella-Mae is a former elite gymnast turned diving enthusiast, who found her true calling in the world of fitness after a career-changing ankle injury. This setback, far from slowing her down, ended up sparking a new passion for the gym, where she now trains six days a week. And it’s this resilience and dedication to powering through that we think will make her a formidable presence in the Gladiators arena.
She also showed her spark for entrepreneurship during the Covid lockdown, when she pivoted to become a qualified personal trainer and began cultivating a significant online following. Today, she’s a social media maven with 632k followers on TikTok, 2.27k on YouTube, and a thriving community of 313k on Instagram (@ellamaerayner). While over on her official Instagram for Comet (@comet_thegladiator) she shares behind-the-scenes content, giving fans a peek into the life of a modern Gladiator.
Standing at around 5’4”, Comet is one of the shortest Gladiators in the new line up, but what she lacks in height she more than makes up for in strength and determination. This woman has been through a lot and come back stronger each time.
See, Ella-Mae’s journey to becoming Comet is as varied as it is impressive. After gymnastics and diving, she found a new avenue in cheerleading during her university years, where she not only competed but also coached. And it was only when a nasty ankle injury stopped her cheerleading in its tracks that she discovered a real love for hitting the gym and working out.
Interestingly, Ella-Mae even considered a career as a stuntwoman, a path many of her gymnast friends took. However, life had other plans, and that ankle injury set her on the path to eventually nabbing the role of Comet on Gladiators.
In a not-so-nice twist of fate though, Comet was also injured while filming this new series, sharing photos from her hospital bed of her broken ankle and foot. In typical Ella-Mae fashion though, she’s staying positive about the whole thing, writing “This is just a minor blip in the road and ignites the fire in me to come back better and stronger than ever before”.
And we know that this is a woman who’s never let anything stop her, and by sharing her journey on social media in the past she’s managed to branch out to brand deals alongside her personal training and coaching work. With her impressive social media influence, Ella-Mae has worked with big names like Protein Works, Sweaty Betty, Grenade, and USA PRO.
Ella-Mae ‘Comet’ Rayner’s journey from the gym to the Gladiator arena is a testament to her relentless drive and versatility, and while she might be out of action for a while we know she’ll fight to come back stronger than ever.
Find out about other gladiators: Everything You Need to Know about Fury from Gladiators or Everything You Need to Know About Fire From Gladiators.
