Jodie Ounsley – aka Fury on Gladiators – was left ‘heartbroken’ in November when her beloved dad, Phil, unexpectedly passed away after collapsing on Pen-y-ghent in North Yorkshire
Jodie Ounsley – aka Fury on Gladiators – has compared the new series of the iconic entertainment show, hosted by Bradley Walsh and his son Barney, to going into “battle”- but as a former England rugby pro, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu British Champion and five times World Coal Carrying champion, she’s used to competing under pressure.
In 2024, Jodie joined the starting line-up of powerhouses for the show’s reboot after an eight-year hiatus, and was named in honour of her power and passion for competition.
But life hasn’t been easy for the 25-year-old – she was born profoundly deaf and became one of the youngest people in the UK to be fitted with a cochlear implant, undergoing surgery at just 14-months old. Jodie considers her disability a “superpower” and takes a lot of pride in being someone children look up to.
READ MORE: Gladiators star Fury almost pulled out of Strictly Christmas Special – but vows to make late dad proudREAD MORE: Scarlett Moffatt rules out having more children after ‘soul-destroying’ miscarriage
She says: “I think I underestimated the impact being a Gladiator could have. Kids might not have an understanding of what it’s like to be deaf, or what a deaf person looks like. They might see someone in their class with an implant and think, ‘That’s what Fury’s got.’
“It’s just about normalising it and having those conversations. Or I’ll hear a story about a girl getting bullied. She’ll go, ‘Right, what would Fury do? I’m going to be strong and stand up for myself.’ Stuff like that cuts me deep. I don’t take it for granted.”
Ambition runs in Jodie’s blood, with her father, Phil, starring on the show as a contender back in 2008. The former police inspector sadly passed away just a few weeks before Christmas, aged 56, after collapsing on Pen-y-ghent in North Yorkshire.
Jodie, who was rehearsing for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special at the time, said she was “heartbroken” by his death. But she vowed to continue filming, supported by her professional dance partner, Neil Jones, who lost his own father just weeks earlier.
She says: “Mum was the first person to be like, ‘Jodie, Dad would’ve wanted you to do this because he was so excited about it’. So I went straight back into rehearsals. Neil was great, because he’s been through a similar situation, and it was the best thing I did. On the night, that was quite emotional and I was doing everything to just keep it together. As soon as the music came on, something came over me and I thought, ‘I’ve got to do it for Dad’. And it felt like he was in the room.”
Jodie is now set on living by her motto “be more Phil”, which to her, means grabbing life with both hands. She’s currently training to hike up the mountain herself in April, and it’s already helping her feel closer to her dad.
She says: “My dad would be the first one out of the door. If it was sunny, he’d suggest going for a walk or a dip in the sea. There are times when I don’t want to do something, but then I think, ‘be more Dad’, because he’d do anything to be here to do those things.
“When I saw a sunrise last week, I knew he would’ve loved it. So if anything, I feel closer to him by doing these walks. I know April is going to be emotional but the support has been incredible. It’s giving me a focus and helping me take something positive out of a really sad situation.”
Perhaps this new outlook will give Jodie the confidence to sign up as a full-time Strictly contestant later in the year. She says: “If you told me a few months ago I’d be on the Christmas special, I’d be like, ‘No chance’.
“But the Strictly pros were so lovely and they were telling me I’d be great, and to back myself more. I thought, ‘Don’t start putting that out into the universe!’ So who knows. If the opportunity did come around, I’d have to think about it.”
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply