West Belfast personal trainer Tuathlaith Murtagh says viewers will be “sitting on the edge of your seat” when they see her take on the Gladiators on BBC One this weekend.
Speaking to The Irish News, the 30-year-old said she was “glued” to the programme as a child and still can’t believe she had the opportunity to take part in the show.
The Gladiators programme is a revival of the programme, which gained popularity in the 1990s on ITV.
Thuathlaith said: “I was glued to the Gladiators when I was a kid and I used to sit in front of the TV and lie on the living-room floor glued to the TV.
“I used to get told off by my mum and dad, they’d be like ‘you’re gonna get square eyes’ but I was just so mesmerised by the whole thing.”
Ms Murtagh will be fighting for a place in the quarter-final of the competition.
She said it was “absolutely nerve-wracking” stepping out into the arena for the first time.
“There was about 4,500 people there all cheering your name, very nervous” she said.
Despite being nervous, the fitness fanatic said she “would absolutely love to say I did” give a good representation of herself.
“If there’s one thing I could guarantee, you’ll be sitting on the edge of your seat,” she added.
Tuathlaith competed against the Gladiators last year, but has been sworn to secrecy over her appearance, calling it “the hardest secret I have ever had to keep”.
“I’m not very good at keeping a secret, like if I buy someone a present it doesn’t stay a surprise...so this is very, very difficult and it’s been a long time, we filmed that back in June,” she said.
“It definitely, definitely taught me a bit of patience if nothing else, but it’s finally out and I’m excited for everyone to watch it tomorrow and for me to actually speak about it properly.”
Find out how she fared against Gladiators such as Sabre, Fury and Dynamite on Saturday on BBC One at 5.50pm.
