Ella-Mae Rayner (born 24 April 1995) is an English former elite gymnast, fitness model and television personality, known for appearing in BBC's sports game show Gladiators as "Comet".
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | "Comet" |
| Nationality |  English |
| Born | 24 April 1995 Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England |
| Education | Birmingham University |
| Occupations |
|
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [1] |
Early life and education edit
Ella-Mae Rayner was born on 24 April 1995 in Stevenage Hertfordshire, East of England and move to and raised in Rotherham, South Yorkshire at the age of 3. She picked a sports degree at the Birmingham University.[2]
Career edit
Rayner previously competed in gymnastics in her younger years, diving as a teen and then cheerleading on National level during her University times.[3] However, an serious ankle injury changed her career. Unable to continue with cheerleading or gymnastics, Rayner found herself in the gym. Nowadays she trains up to six days a week, in addition to working as a fitness model and coach.[2][4][5]
She has also gained a following on social media, primarily on Instagram and TikTok, where she has over 600 thousand followers.[6] In 2023, she was named as one of the Gladiators in the game show of the same name.[7] Earning the fierce moniker "Comet", she has been compared as the "new generation's Jet" (Diane Youdale), who herself also came from a similar gymnastics background.[3] Due to her "elegance, dynamic flexibility and strength", Rayner's favourite event on the show is "Hang Tough", in which she unfortunately suffered a severe leg injury[8] during the filmings of the first series. Her appearances restricted to three episodes, as she was forced to retire for the rest of the series. However, she has said to been in full recovery and is set to return "even stronger" for the second series.[9]
Personal life edit
Rayner is 5 ft 8 in, and is in relationship with her entrepreneur boyfriend James Exton.[10]
References edit
- ^ "BBC One - Gladiators - Comet". BBC.
- ^ a b Evans, Alex (24 February 2024). "BBC Gladiators Comet star Ella-Mae Rayner on her life changing injuries, health battle and giving up her dream job". examinerlive.co.uk.
- ^ a b "'The new Jet' in Gladiators turned career around after injury to become Comet and leave fans stunned". talksport.com. 21 June 2023.
- ^ "Everything You Need To Know About Comet From Gladiators". gymfluencers.com. 11 January 2024.
- ^ "Athena and Comet have power in their soul as they become Gladiators". BBC.
- ^ "5 Facts About Gladiators Star Ella-Mae 'Comet' Rayner". gymfluencers.com.
- ^ "Meet the new Gladiators ready to take on contenders in the BBC series". BBC.
- ^ Rodger, James (19 June 2023). "Gladiators star rushed to hospital for operation after 'severe injury'". BirminghamLive.
- ^ Fullbrook, Danny (20 January 2024). "Gladiators star Comet says injury proves show is tough". BBC.
- ^ "Inside Gladiators star Comet's life off screen – lavish holidays to entrepreneur boyfriend". ok.co.uk.