{"id":551128,"date":"2026-04-26T04:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T04:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/551128\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T04:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T04:49:14","slug":"gladiators-star-addresses-quick-and-disappointing-exit-decision-in-defiant-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/551128\/","title":{"rendered":"Gladiators star addresses ‘quick and disappointing’ exit decision in defiant statement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gladiators star Jamie Bigg, known as Giant, announced his departure from the popular BBC show earlier this week, claiming the decision was out of his control<\/p>\n

13:20, 25 Apr 2026Updated 13:52, 25 Apr 2026<\/p>\n

\"Giant<\/p>\n

Giant leaves the Gladiators cast after three series (Image: (Image: BBC))<\/p>\n

Gladiators<\/a> star Jamie Bigg, known as Giant, has shared an emotional statement after leaving the BBC show. The 40-year-old had been a part of the popular programme, fronted by Bradley and Barney Walsh<\/a>, for three series as well as the nationwide tour.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, he said he was told he would not be returning to the show<\/a> after planning to go public with his relationship with an OnlyFans<\/a> creator.<\/p>\n

According to him, after conversations with the BBC<\/a>, “child safeguarding” was raised. He said he “always upheld the standards expected of me, both professionally and personally” and wants to be a “positive role model”, while also standing by his values and “the people I love”.<\/p>\n

Elaborating on the decision, the sportsman said he “didn’t expect things to unfold the way they did”. He added: “After I made it known that I was planning to be more open about parts of my personal life, I was told I wouldn\u2019t be returning to Gladiators.<\/p>\n

“There wasn\u2019t a lot of conversation around it and the decision felt final very quickly.”<\/p>\n

\"Giant<\/p>\n

Giant said the decision was out of his control (Image: BBC\/Hungry Bear\/Shutterstock\/Getty)<\/p>\n

He added: “I\u2019ve always approached my work with professionalism and respect, both on and off screen, so it was disappointing to be in a position where I felt that wasn\u2019t fully recognised.<\/p>\n

“At the same time, I understand the nature of the industry and that decisions are sometimes made behind the scenes that you don\u2019t have control over.”<\/p>\n

Jamie went on to say he is grateful for the support he’s received from fans, while revealing he is now focusing on his next chapter.<\/p>\n

“What\u2019s stood out to me is the level of support I\u2019ve received,” he said. “The messages from people who\u2019ve followed my journey have genuinely meant a lot, and it\u2019s reminded me why I do what I do in the first place.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

The Gladiators opened up to us about his exit (Image: BBC screengrab)<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I\u2019m focused on what comes next. I\u2019m looking at new opportunities, continuing to build my career, and making sure that whatever I do reflects who I am both professionally and personally,” he added. “I\u2019m not interested in changing or holding back – I\u2019d rather move forward with honesty and see where that takes me.”<\/p>\n

A Gladiators spokesperson said in a statement: “After three formidable series, Giant is leaving Gladiators. We\u2019d like to thank him for everything he has contributed to the show and wish him well for the future.”<\/p>\n

They added they had no further comment when asked about the reason for his departure.<\/p>\n

Giant\u2019s partner is OnlyFans creator Taylor Ryan, 28, who he describes as “one of the kindest people I\u2019ve ever met”.<\/p>\n

He said her content on the platform is just one part of what she does, alongside being a business-minded entrepreneur and someone who dedicates her time to fostering dogs<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gladiators star Jamie Bigg, known as Giant, announced his departure from the popular BBC show earlier this week,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":551129,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[243,96,59,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-551128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-bbc","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-gb","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}