Ella-Mae Rayner
British gymnast and television personality (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ella-Mae "Ella" Rayner (born 24 April 1995) is an English former elite gymnast, fitness model and television personality, known for appearing as "Comet" in BBC's sports game show Gladiators.
24 April 1995
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
Nickname | Comet |
| Born | Ella-Mae Rayner 24 April 1995 |
| Home town | Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England |
| Alma mater | Birmingham University |
| Occupations |
|
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 66 kg (146 lb)[1] |
Early life and education
Ella-Mae Rayner was born on 24 April 1995 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. She gained a sports degree from the University of Birmingham.[2]
Career
Rayner previously competed in elite level gymnastics in her younger years, diving as a teen and then cheerleading at national level during her time at university .[3] However, a serious ankle injury changed her career. Unable to continue with cheerleading or gymnastics, Rayner found herself in the gym. Nowadays she trains up to six days a week, in addition to working as a fitness model and coach.[2][4][5]
She has also gained a following on social media, primarily on Instagram and TikTok, on the latter of which she has over 600,000 followers.[6][7] In 2023, she was named as one of the Gladiators in the game show of the same name.[8] Earning the fierce moniker "Comet", she has been described as the "new [generation's] Jet" (Diane Youdale), who herself also came from a similar gymnastics background.[3] Due to her elegance, dynamic flexibility and strength, Rayner's favourite event on the show is "Hang Tough", in which she suffered a severe leg injury during the filming of the first series.[9] Her appearances were restricted to three episodes, as she was forced to retire for the rest of the series. However, she was said to have made a full recovery and returned "even stronger" for the second series.[10]