Strictly 2024: Gladiators star Montell Douglas on ‘intense pain’ that saw her hospitalised and op that left her unable to walk for three months

Star of Gladiators Montell Douglas is one of the 15 celebs who’ve signed up for this year’s series of Strictly.

Montell, also known as Fire to fans, expressed her excitement in a statement, sharing: “Strictly ARE YOU READY, Fire is here to light up the Ballroom!”

She then added: “Wow I am so honoured to have been asked to do the show. It is such an amazing thing to be a part of and I can’t wait to get started. Hopefully a few of my Gladiator moves will come in handy with the Tango or Paso Doble!”

But how old is Montell? How much is she worth? And what else is she known for? Keep reading to find out.

Montell Douglas – age, height, where she’s from and how she’s famous

The gorgeous Montell is a British multi-sports Olympian. She appeared on the BBC One reboot of Gladiators in 2024.

Born on January 24, 1986, Montell Douglas is currently 38 years old. Montell is 5ft 9in tall, according to Eurosport.

Montell was born in Lewisham, south-east London. She was raised in the UK by Jamaican parents. She discovered her love for athletics at a young age. Her PE teacher was someone who influenced her to participate in it further.

Strictly star Montell Douglas’ age when she started sprinting

Montell Douglas began sprinting at the age of 13.

“I remember my first competition, and it was invigorating! After competing, I was enthralled by this passion and burn,” she told Sports for Champions. “I wanted to do better. And with every competition that passed by, I kept on feeling inspired to better myself and continue growing.

When she competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, Montell held the record at the time for the 100 metres, completing the race in 11.05 seconds.

“My greatest achievement is undoubtedly breaking the British record and qualifying as an Olympian. When I qualified as an Olympian, I felt relieved and thrilled, it was a fantastic feeling, and nothing compares! It was always a dream since I had begun competing, and it felt right when I was handed the spot!” she revealed.

What else Montell Douglas has done

In addition to sprinting, Montell has also taken up bobsleigh and became part of the Great Britain two-woman bobsleigh team in 2017. She competed during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

In 2024, she appeared on the BBC One reboot of Gladiators as Fire.

Referring to her fans as “flames”, Montell said about her character on Instagram: “A powerful force of nature. A classic element that is fast, unpredictable and dangerous. It’s about to be lit!”

Montell was also featured in the 2017 film Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, as an Amazonian warrior.

Earlier this year, Montell attended the launch of the Youth Sport Trust’s 2024 National School Sports Week at Swiss Cottage School in London to help mentor the younger sporting generation.

“I’ve been with the Youth Sport Trust for more than 10 years now, supporting and promoting youth sport activity,” she told Daily Echo.

“One thing I always love is the being able to impact others whilst also learning about how other people’s lives have been impacted by sport and activity and being reminded of that feeling.”

Montell continued: “I love to be a part of that journey during National School Sports Week and helping play sports a life skill for everyone.”

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Montell Douglas on Strictly

As she prepared to compete in the 2024 series of Strictly, Montell admitted that competing on the hit BBC show has been “at the absolute top of my list from the beginning of time”.

“I’m super excited because it’s an iconic show. It is, I’d say, the next best TV show on TV at the moment and it’s been around for so long, and I’m a dancer at heart,” she told The Sun.

“I feel like I belong there, and I’m super excited to just get in those costumes as well and maybe show a tiny bit more leg than you guys can see on Gladiators.”

Montell continued: “I’m excited about the challenge because I’m an athlete, I know about the morning schedule, I know that we’re going to do something new.”

Montell Douglas on learning to walk again after surgery

After tearing the cartilage in her left knee in 2009 during training, Montell had to undergo surgery. She previously told Sports for Champions that it was her greatest challenge to overcome. Doctors informed her that she might never run again, and she couldn’t walk at all for three months.

“Following the surgery, I had to relearn how to walk, which put me in a difficult situation; so many of the things I could once do were stripped away from me instantly! I overcame this by focusing on what I had. I had a great support structure and a strong belief that I would beat this and go on to compete again,” she said.

“This helped me immensely, and it was at that point, I began to block out everything I couldn’t do at that point and focused on the things I was learning in my physio sessions one step at a time. I took each day in my stride and stopped pressuring myself as these things take time, and it did. Thankfully I overcame it, and as a result, I am stronger than ever!”

Period pains

Montell revealed that she has suffered from painful periods for years with “waves of intense pain” that often stopped her in her tracks. As a sprinter, she missed training because of it, and was prescribed strong painkillers by her doctor to allow her to compete.

However, she needed to take them well in advance in order for them to be effective. A few years ago, after taking them too late, she ended up in hospital.

“That hospitalisation for me was a kind of wake-up call. My body just started convulsing, and I was almost passing out, because the pain was so intense. I was overheating because of the hormones – my body couldn’t control its temperature, and that in turn made me dehydrated. The pain was in waves, coming in like contractions,” she told PA.

She called an ambulance herself, and was put on a drip in hospital. As a result, she had contraceptive implants put in, and they’ve made a big difference to the severity of her period pain.

“Since then, it’s been much more manageable in terms of the pain, and it just gave me some confidence in that when it comes, I’m not going to be at its beck and call. It’s something I can manage, rather than it managing me.”

Strictly star Montell Douglas’ private life – marriage and children

To public knowledge, Montell is not married. It also doesn’t appear as if she has any children.

Read more: The ‘richest’ Strictly 2024 contestant – from Nick Knowles and Tasha Ghouri to Shayne Ward

Strictly Come Dancing starts on BBC One on Saturday September 14 at 7.20pm.

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