Nitro, one of the most popular characters on Gladiators, will not take part in series two.

Real name Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, the former Team GB sprinter revealed that an injury sustained in training has forced him to pull out of the second edition of the popular show.

Aikines-Aryeetey explained that he ended up aggravating his "dodgy" knee, and says he pushed himself a little too hard in training. "Obviously, you know I'm explosive, I'm powerful, sometimes I'm too powerful," he explained

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Instead of competing in this series, Nitro will be cheering on with the audience.

"Speed is my thing, but sometimes life throws a curveball!," wrote the fan favourite.

"During training for series 2 earlier this year, I picked up an unexpected knee injury, which means I’ll be shifting gears this series and sitting out the events.

"But don’t worry, I’m recharging and more energised than ever! You’ll still catch me bringing the Nitro spirit to your screens, hyping up my fellow Gladiators, and keeping the energy sky-high. Bring on series 2 of Gladiators!"

There are two new Gladiators for the new season - Cyclone and Hammer - and while they didn't appear in episode one, hosts Barney and Bradley Walsh confirmed their arrival to Gladiators.

The rare reason for Nitro's incredible physique

All of the Gladiators are in incredible physical shape, as expected.

However, Nitro's muscle to body fat ratio is particularly striking, and certainly catches the eye. But it's not just down to committed gym and nutrition, there is actually a genetic reason for this.

Aikines-Aryeetey has a myostatin deficiency, which is a genetic condition that causes increased muscle mass and reduced body fat. It occurs in both humans and animals.

People who have this condition, like Nitro, can grow twice as much muscle mass as a regular person. Myostatin is a protein that inhibits muscle growth, so those deficient in that protein experience the rapid growth of muscle mass. It is considered to be a very rare condition.

Family life

Aikines-Aryeetey is married to wife Lauren, with whom he has one child - Aubree-Isla.

Alongside posting about fitness and Gladiators, 'Nitro' sometimes posts pictures from his family life, but tends to keep that reasonably private.

With 300,000 followers on Instagram, he previously spoke of the importance of keeping his family out of the limelight.

"I think it's really important to have that little difference. It's important to have that moment of downtime, not to have a camera in my face and also my child might not want to be an influencer," he explained.

"She gets involved in some of my videos, which is quite funny. I cook with her and we play games together. There are some interesting points about being a parent, you want to keep those things private because it's your journey and it's how you're going along with it."

Sporting career

Now 36, Aikines-Aryeetey had a fine career in the sporting world.

He burst onto the scene 20 years ago, being crowned BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year after winning gold in the 100m and 200m at the World Youth Championships.

He continued to succeed after this, too, winning three European and two Commonwealth relay golds, along with a European 100m bronze in 2014, and appearing at the Rio Olympics with Team GB. He then won the 100m final at the European Athletics Team Championships in 2017.

Overall, he competed on World, Olympic and Commonwealth stages, enjoying a career at the top level.