BBC Gladiators: Leeds Rhinos star tipped to win 2026 series - before quarter-final return
A Leeds Rhinos player who wowed audiences during her Gladiators debut has been tipped to win the BBC series.
Army doctor Ella Donnelly, 21, who also plays for the rugby league star, appeared in the heat stages earlier in the 2026 series. She is set to return for the quarter-finals, which will continue tonight (February 28) and conclude next Saturday (March 7).
Following her standout performance during the heats, Ella has emerged as one of the favourites to be the female winner of Gladiators in 2026. She is 6/4 to triumph in series 3 with Gambling.com, which is behind only one other woman - who has already secured a semi-final spot.
Gladiators will be back at the regular early evening time of 5.45pm today with the second of three quarter-finals. It can be watched on BBC One and iPlayer - both live and on demand.
Ella only applied after seeing a Facebook pop-up asking for potential contenders. She explained “I didn’t know anything about Gladiators.
“I probably would have ignored it but a friend who just happened to be sitting with me said I would be great at it and should apply.”
Her natural competitive instincts kicked in, and she began to fill in the form but got distracted and didn’t finish it. Despite this, those screening applications saw enough and called her to audition.
Ella added: “It was a really fun day with lots of challenges and screen tests. I heard back pretty quickly that I had made the next stage.
“I actually had to leave in the middle of the trials as I had an important rugby game live on Sky Sports. They kindly allowed me to leave and come back to catch up on what I’d missed.”
Viewers can expect Ella to return in either tonight’s or next Saturday’s quarter-final, with a shot in the semis on the line. During the heats she completed the Eliminator in just over one-and-a-half minutes.
Ella, who is a captain in the multi-role medical regiment, recently received her first call-up to the England Rugby League training squad ahead of the World Cup in Australia later this year. She signed for Leeds Rhinos Women from Army Rugby League back in 2024 and was part of the team that made the Challenge Cup final later that year.
Despite her lack of knowledge of the show, she did recognise one of the Gladiators, Steel, who she used to do CrossFit with. “It was good to see a friendly face, but all the Gladiators are really nice,” she said.
On her first TV appearance, she said: “Excitement was the overriding emotion, with a touch of nerves. I’ve never done TV before, so didn’t know what to expect, but it’s such a great opportunity and I was really keen to test myself against the Gladiators.
“I am confident of progressing in the show because of my sporting background and everyone telling me I’d be great, but you never know until you get there.”
Her chain of command has been extremely supportive in allowing her to pursue both participation in Gladiators and her rugby career. She explained: “I was permitted to move regiments from the south to the north because of Leeds Rhinos and allowed to manage my time so that I can train and play, as well as take part in the show.
“I’ve now applied for an Army Elite Sports spot to allow me to go full-time in the run up to the World Cup and put in the hours I need to try to make the final squad.”