Former Kent PE teacher Matt Morsia is appearing on the Celebrity Apprentice Christmas Special for Children in Need but is better known for his role in the BBC reboot of Gladiators
Gladiators sensation Matt Morsia is one of the candidates hoping to win over Lord Alan Sugar on The Celebrity Apprentice.
Lord Sugar has challenged numerous celebrity contestants over the years in special editions of BBC’s The Apprentice, but this year’s Christmas episode might prove his most demanding challenge to date.
12 well-known personalities were whisked away to Lapland to craft victorious gingerbread biscuits – complete with branding, marketing and a memorable jingle for an advertisement – hoping to secure funds for Children In Need.
Matt, 39, is typically seen intimidating competitors on Gladiators, where his persona Legend aims to thwart any challengers attempting to outmatch the elite athletes at their speciality.
READ MORE: BBC Gladiators’ Legend’s ‘normal’ job in Folkestone before quitting to become fitness influencerREAD MORE: The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner unleashes tirade hours after his Strictly Come Dancing debut
However, viewers are poised to witness an entirely different facet of the sportsman, and here’s all you need to know about the BBC personality, reports the Mirror.
Matt, also known as Legend, is a former Championship bronze medallist in long and triple jump, plus a silver medallist in powerlifting.
He’s additionally a fitness content creator boasting over 1.1 million Instagram followers, alongside running his own fitness enterprise and application, Morsia.
Legend stands at six foot one (1.85m tall), can triple jump beyond 50 feet – that’s greater than the length of a double decker bus – and boasts an impressive 40cm bicep measurement.
His motivation to become a Gladiator stemmed from believing he’d excel at it, whilst it had always been a “life goal” of his.
He became part of the revived competition programme in series one. “I watched the original Gladiators as a kid,” Matt previously explained.
“From the age of nine or 10 years old, I wanted to be a Gladiator. It’s been a lifelong ambition, I guess.”
He’s wed to Sarah, who serves as managing director of his fitness enterprise, and the pair share two youngsters.
Earlier this year, Matt, who previously worked as a PE instructor in Kent, endured a bicep injury which he branded the “worst” fortnight of his existence.
In a clip shared on social media, he detailed how he initially believed the injury wasn’t severe. Nevertheless, he swiftly grasped the gravity of the predicament when he headed backstage and witnessed his bicep positioned halfway up his upper arm.
Whilst he consistently praised the medical team for their attention, Matt revealed that the healing journey included nausea and additional symptoms that resulted in him shedding more than two stone (15kgs).
The mishap occurred when Matt was grappling with another competitor during filming for the popular BBC programme, and his arm became “wrenched” behind him, tearing his bicep “clean off the bone”.
Matt was forced to remain in hospital for a fortnight and “couldn’t eat food for 12 days” rendering him so frail he was unable to get to his feet.
Viewers will need to wait and discover whether Matt possesses the qualities required to defeat his rival candidates in the boardroom.
The Celebrity Apprentice will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Monday, December 29 and Tuesday, December 30 at 9pm
