GEMMA Atkinson has broken her silence on reports she's in talks to sign for a celebrity version of Gladiators.
The former Emmerdale star and fitness fan, 39, was said to be "desperate" to be involved - but it appears it won't be happening after all.
The TV and radio star was asked by a fan on Instagram: "Please tell me you've been asked to do celebrity gladiators? My 6 year old little girl thinks you'd smash it."
Addressing the speculation head on, Gemma responded: "I heard about this little rumour!
"It was news to me [laughing emoji]. No chats have been had. I loved the original show as a kid & I'm glad it's back for the next generation to watch, but I wouldn't put Gorks and Mia through the stress of trying to watch me climb that wall.
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"Happy to sit it out & watch from home."
Gladiators producers are said to be hard at working piecing together a line-up of famous faces for a rebooted celebrity edition.
The Mirror reported that Gemma asked her team to reach out to people at the BBC for a spot on the line-up.
A source said: “Gemma heard that a celebrity special was in the pipeline, and said to her agent she would love to be involved.
“Gladiators was Gemma’s favourite show as a kid, and, because she’s so into fitness now, it would be her dream gig.
“Talks are ongoing – the show team are thrilled that she is so keen.”
In 2018, Gemma praised Gladiator icon Jet on Instagram, stating: “This lady here (Jet) was the reason I started going to the gym and training. I used to love Gladiators.”
When Gladiators returned in January, with Bradley Walsh and son Barney picking up hosting duties, it became an immediate Saturday night hit - with 8.7million viewers tuning in.
A second season was quickly greenlit, with applications now open for wannabe winners, with talks of a celebrity special also in the works, as confirmed by show producer Dan Baldwin.
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“You always look at old shows no longer on television. You are always coming up with new ways of bringing back a show,” he told BBC Radio 4.
“There’s nothing wrong with that because those shows were great for a reason. We’ve always got an eye on what could come back and be a hit like Gladiators is.”
