Swatragh girl heading for semi-finals of hit BBC show Gladiators

County Derry girl Keeva Neely has made it to the semi finals of the show Gladiators. 

The TV series sees people compete against other ‘gladiators’ in a fun sporty challenge to win a prize. The show originated in the 90’s but a second reboot of the show started on BBC One in 2024.

Coach and gym owner Keeva had a turbulent but exciting start to the competition. The Swatragh native made it through to the quarter-final after her  competitor Nikki was injured in the earlier episode.

In the quarter-final heat Keeva faced a new gladiator, Powerlifted Lystus Ebosele better known as Cyclone, from County Wexford.  

Ms Neely told the BBC Cyclone is “someone she looks up to in the fitness world.” She described the experience as “crazy” and “safe to say I was scared out of my mind.” 

Going into the last Eliminator of the quarter-finals, Keeva had an 8.5 second head start on her competitor Rachel which she made the most of. 

Keeva managed to catch her breath before taking on the gladiator ‘travelator’ and breezed through to the semi-finals, although she said she felt her achievement was "unimaginable".

Speaking to the County Derry Post in the lead up to the semi-finals Keeva said “Honestly I am super excited for the semi finals, for me anything past the heats was a complete bonus. I’m just so grateful for being a part of the show and allowing me to inspire others. Whether the outcome tonight is in my favour or not it will be a positive one for me, but in saying that I will give it my all!”

The semi-final will air tonight Saturday, March 22 on BBC One at 5:50pm.