Ulrika Jonsson asks if Gladiators' cheerleader decision was 'wokery'

Watch Ulrika Jonsson ask if Gladiators' cheerleader decision was 'wokery'

What did you miss?

Ulrika Jonsson has admitted she is disappointed that Gladiators is being rebooted without its cheerleaders, questioning whether it is "wokery".

The TV star hosted the original run of the 90s sports entertainment show, which was a huge hit for ITV. It is now being rebooted on the BBC with The Chase star Bradley Walsh and his son Barney at the helm. The resurrected series features a new crop of Gladiators who will be tackling an array of high-octane challenges, but this time there won't be any cheerleaders on the sidelines.

What, how, and why?

Jonsson has had a peek at the new series ahead of its launch this weekend, and during an interview on ITV's Lorraine she said she thought bosses had done a "great job". But she added that it was "a shame" that the dancers who were so popular the first time around had not been included.

Discussing her first look at the reboot, she said: "It brought tears to my eyes because they have kept the music and the general feel of it so really, they have done a great job. But no cheerleaders! I just don’t understand it. I don’t know if it's some kind of wokery?"

The TV star went on: "The whole point, the cheerleaders brought such… they just brought another level and some depth it. And they were gorgeous and talented girls, we had such a lovely time together with them."

Host Christine Lampard agreed that the Gladiators cheerleaders had become "superstars" back in the day. "They were so great and it's just a shame… don’t know what the reasons are," Jonsson added.

What else happened on Lorraine?

Gladiators originally ran from 1992 to 2000 and Jonsson hosted along with John Fashanu. She told Lampard that in her view the programme "had everything". "I think the great thing was that it was such an amazing family show," she said. "It had fun, it was sort of wholesome, it was cheeky, it was naughty, it was rock and roll."

The TV star said the programme was a huge part of her life. "I went through everything - my first pregnancy, divorce, infidelity, all of it!" she said. "The month of August every year was taken up with Gladiators. I always had my birthday up there where we filmed. It was brilliant."

It comes after former Gladiator host said there was a lot of bed-hopping. She told The Telegraph: "They were so excitable. You don’t build a body like that without bucketfuls of vanity. But this was their moment and they got very excited. There was a lot of bed-hopping. The producers put them all on one floor in the hotel, which made it easy."

Yahoo has contacted the BBC for comment.

Gladiators is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Saturday 13 January at 5.50pm.

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