'Working in a prison is great preparation for Gladiators'

A prison officer who has secured her place in the quarter-finals of the current series of Gladiators says her success will give her "extra kudos" with the inmates she works with.

Poppy Bulmer, 33, is a PE instructor at Wetherby Young Offender Institution and wants to use her experience to inspire the teenagers she teaches.

"I was shocked by how tough Gladiators was, but working in a prison gives you strength and I knew the young lads I support would be watching," she says.

"Hopefully now they've seen me on the show they'll come to me for advice in the gym!"

Inmates at Wetherby are aged 15-18 and around half have been in the care system. Many are serving lengthy sentences for serious crimes.

Poppy, who lives in Goole, says her job is to keep them healthy and offer them an outlet for their emotions.

"The lads we have in custody come off as being violent and aggressive, but when you get them in the gym they are often not that confident and need a lot of guidance."

Poppy suffers from hair loss caused by the autoimmune disease alopecia and chose not to wear a wig on screen to send a message to others in her position.

"Alopecia is a part of my life. You just have to own it," she says.

"I love my wigs; it's so nice to wear lots of different wigs, but it's always a good feeling taking them off and then I don't have to worry about my hair being sweaty.

"It's just me and whatever I've got to face in front of me."

Poppy successfully completed the notoriously difficult Hang Tough event, earning 10 points for dodging Sabre while swinging from rings above the arena floor.

She says she was "black and blue" with bruising from the Gladiator's blows.

"The dream is to go all the way and that's what I'm going to put my whole effort into trying to do."

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