Gladiators star Zack George: 'We want my son's short time on this Earth to have a positive effect'

As Steel, Zack George is one of the most formidable Gladiators on the BBC’s hit reboot series. But his definition of strength has changed. In April, his son Leo died after being born prematurely. On social media George posted: “It’s hard to put into words the pain of losing a child. The grief is heavy, and it’s taken so much strength just to begin piecing ourselves back together. Our beautiful Leo taught us the true meaning of strength, courage and bravery in his 13 precious days with us.”

Inspired by the memory of Leo, George has set up a charity with his wife Samantha called Leo and Friends, to support other families who find themselves in a similar position. To raise funds and awareness, George is taking on the 13 Days Fighting challenge, where he’ll complete a mile of burpees each day for 13 days at 13 different locations across the country from 18 until 30 August. He tells us more.

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Big Issue: Can you tell us about Leo?

Zack George: Leo was born at 23 weeks’ gestation which is classed as extremely premature; 50% of babies born at this gestation don’t survive the birth but Leo was born strong with a good heart rate and oxygen levels. Leo fought as hard as he could for 13 days battling several different complications. Three blood transfusions, collapsed lungs, a grade 1 and 2 bleed on the brain, a hole in his heart and a hole in his trachea. After 13 days he lost his battle and sadly passed away.

You know more about premature birth than you probably ever wanted to – what should more people know?

My niece was born at 24 weeks gestation and survived and Leo was born at 23 weeks so we know too well about premature birth. One in 10 families experience premature birth; we’ve learned it is far more common than people think.

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Do you want to find a positive way to remember Leo?

We want his short time on this Earth to have such a positive effect across so many families across the UK. I’m a person that needs to try and find the positives in any situation. 

What is the mission of Leo and Friends?

Leo and Friends has a mission to build a legacy in Leo’s name, help families who have been through, or are going through, premature baby loss and to raise money for the Leicester Royal NICU where Leo was taken care of. 

Where did the idea for the burpee challenge come from?

I’ve always enjoyed burpees, I’m from a sport called CrossFit and doing a burpee mile is a hard challenge that people try to complete – and as Leo fought as hard as he could for 13 days, I came up with the challenge to do one mile of burpees every day for 13 days.

Why burpees? 

I chose burpees because you don’t need any equipment, you don’t need much space and they are probably one of the hardest exercises to do.

For us unathletic types, how exactly do you do a proper burpee?

By starting in a standing position, then you drop to the ground so that all your body is on the floor, you then do a push up and jump your legs in so that you are now in a squat position, then you jump forwards to restart the rep.

How does doing burpees over the course of a mile compare to some of the other athletic (and gladiatorial) events you’ve done in the past?

Doing a burpee mile is very different to a Gladiators event. Usually the average event in Gladiators lasts around a minute, whereas doing a burpee mile will take two to three hours. It’s a lot more endurance and more of a mental battle – and way less fun!

What will keep you going even when your legs want to fall off?

The thought of our son Leo and the fight he had to endure.

Have fellow Gladiators been offering support or extra fitness tips?

They have been massively supportive and a lot of them will be joining me on different days to keep me motivated. 

Charities Tommys and Bliss both offer support for premature birth and information on how to help families affected. You can also donate to the 13 Days Fighting challenge that George will undertake on 18-30 August

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