Gladiators star dies aged 60 as BBC show pays tribute to 'talented athlete'

Gladiators star dies aged 60 as BBC show pays tribute to 'talented athlete'A star of Gladiators, who shot to fame on the hit game show during its run in the 1990s and was known as Gold, has passed away at the age of 60 following a battle with cancerCommentsTVJordan Lloyd Beck10:50, 21 Apr 2026Updated 11:58, 21 Apr 2026View 4 ImagesLize van der Walt has died at the age of 60(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)Gladiators star Lize van der Walt has died at the age of 60. The TV star found fame when she joined the hit series in 1997 and was known as Gold whilst on the programme.‌But on Tuesday, it was announced on the social media pages for Gladiators that she had passed away on April 19. An emotional statement read: "We're deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Gladiators' golden girl, Gold.‌"Chosen from thousands of applicants to become one of the show's new Gladiators, she quickly made her mark. Although injury limited her appearances, she showed incredible resilience and when she did compete, she proved that all that glistens truly was Gold. Originally from South Africa, Lize was a talented athlete long before Gladiators, excelling in the 400m and relay."‌READ MORE: Gladiators host Barney Walsh banned from driving for speeding in MercedesREAD MORE: Gladiators fans say it's 'unfair' after semi-finalist forced to pull out of competition4View 4 ImagesLiz starred on the programme in the late 1990sn (Image: ITV/Shutterstock)4View 4 ImagesGladiators was a ratings hit for the BBC in the 1990s (Image: Jam Press/Gladiators)Tributes have flooded in for the star across social media, with one fan writing: "I was very fortunate to have communicated with Lize years ago. After overcoming her suspicion of why some random guy in the UK wanted to speak to her about Gladiators, she very kindly arranged to have photos from that chapter of her life sent to me, and she answered all my questions."It's a shame that so much of he...