Former 'Gladiators' host Ulrika Jonsson has blasted the BBC for axing cheerleaders from the rebooted series.
Ex-Gladiators host Ulrika Jonsson has blasted the reboot for axing cheerleaders from the series
The 56-year-old TV presenter has questioned whether the BBC's decision not to hire cheerleaders - who were a big part of the original show - for the upcoming revamped series is "some kind of wokery".
Speaking on ITV's 'Lorraine', 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?"
Ulrika has insisted cheerleaders took the show to "another level", so she thinks it is a "shame" they will not be a part of the reboot.
She added: "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.
"They were so great and it's just a shame ... don’t know what the reasons are."
Bradley Walsh and his son, actor Barney Walsh, are to co-host the BBC reboot, and 'The Chase' presenter recently revealed his wife and Barney's mum, Donna Derby, used to choreograph the cheerleaders on the original series.
He recently told the Daily Mail newspaper: "Barney’s mum, my wife, used to choreograph all the cheerleaders and then subsequently became an associate producer on the show for all the boys that ran the show originally.
"I used to go down, I’d watch five weeks filming. It was great being there. And then Barney came along, and I used to walk Barney around in the pram around the arena floor, meet all the Gladiators.
"He must have been about one. And so it’s a whole family affair."
But the publication revealed the new-look show will not include cheerleaders.
'Gladiators' initially ran for eight series from 1992 to 2000.
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