DIY SOS Gladiators Special: How deaf Jodie 'Fury' Ounsley lost her hearing
The Gladiator has to wear a cochlear implantJodie ‘Fury’ Ounsley will help Nick Knowles and the DIY SOS team in tonight’s Gladiators special – but how did she lose her hearing?
The professional rugby player is best known for appearing in Gladiators as Fury and she is completely deaf in both ears.
Jodie, 24, uses a cochlear implant to hear but she is also an expert lip reader.
Here’s everything you need to know about Gladiators star Jodie’s journey, including when her parents discovered she was deaf and how she copes day to day.
DIY SOS Gladiators Special: How did Jodie ‘Fury’ Ounsley lose her hearing?
Jodie – aka Fury – was born prematurely. The medication she was given in order to survive unfortunately had an adverse affect on her hearing, meaning she is now profoundly deaf in both ears.
When Jodie was just 14 months old she was fitted with a cochlear implant. The electric device bypasses her ears and sends signals to her brain, which means she can pick up sounds.
A magnet has been fitted under Jodie’s scalp, which enables her to wear her implant on the side of her head.
Jodie previously told the World Rugby Women podcast that she attended a specialist preschool. There, she underwent intensive rehabilitation and speech therapy.
She explained: “When I did go to school I went around the playground telling people I had a robot ear. I genuinely thought they had cut my ear off and put a new one on. I didn’t have any clue of implants or even hearing aids.
“Everyone loved it at school. When I found out that wasn’t real, I was like ‘Oh…!'”
Jodie added: “I am profoundly deaf, which means there is no hearing left whatsoever on both sides. Without my implant there is nothing there.”
What school did Jodie go to?
Jodie was able to attend mainstream school in West Yorkshire. But she says she had contestant speech therapy and help with lip reading.
She has not learned sign language but says she might consider it in the future.
Jodie also told the podcast: “I am constantly looking at my parents’ mouths and how their lip patterns move. Different accents have different lip patterns.
“With my parents, I can just have my implant off and have a conversation without hearing them because I know their lip patterns so well. But if it was someone with a Scottish accent, for example, I have to concentrate more.”
Jodie’s rugby and sporting achievements
Jodie discovered she had a sporting talent at the annual World Coal Carrying Championships in Yorkshire. She ended up winning the contest five times, having won the first time aged three!
Jodie’s later father, who tragically died in October, is a former professional jiu-jitsu champ and she began training with him. Her talent was huge and she went on to win gold at the British Open Brazilian jiu-jitsu finals.
And that’s not all!
In 2015, Jodie began playing rugby and within a year she was representing Yorkshire in its Under-15s team. Jodie then caught the eye of the England squad and joined the Under 18s team.
By 2017, she had earned her first England rugby sevens cap. It made her the first deaf person to play for the female side and she was later offered a full-time England contract.
Jodie was included in the GB Women rugby sevens provisional squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has also won Deaf Sports Personality of the Year.
Jodie wore a scrum cap during her rugby days to protect her cochlear implant. She hung up her boots in 2024, two years after signing up to the Exeter Chiefs Women.
Jodie as Gladiator Fury
Jodie joined the cast of Gladiators when the iconic 90s show was rebooted by the BBC in 2023. She is the first deaf Gladiator in history.
Speaking about being picked for the show, Jodie has since said: “It means the world, it is such an honour. Being deaf and growing up and not seeing many role models… it really means the world.
“I just want to be a good role model and show kids you can be powerful, you can be strong and you can be badass but also be deaf while doing it.
“It’s been heart-warming. I am so passionate to show it is possible.”
Fury in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2025
Jodie competed in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special with professional dancer, Neil Jones.
The pair did a Street Commercial dance and scored one 10 and four 9s. Jodie has never danced before and struggled to hear the music due to being deaf.
The couple didn’t win the show, as the Glitterball was awarded to Scarlett Moffatt and Vito Coppola.
But she put in such as sterling effort that Strictly fans have called for Jodie to appear in the main Strictly Come Dancing series next year!
DIY SOS Gladiators Special: What time is it on?
Jodie will appear in the DIY SOS Gladiators special tonight (Tuesday December 30, 2025). She will assist Nick and the team with building a brand new building for The Cherry Tree Youth Club in Yorkshire.
Other Gladiators joining Jodie – aka Fury – are Cyclone, Giant and Hammer (Lystus Ebosele, Jamie Christian-Johal and Tom Jack Wilson).
DIY SOS Gladiators Special starts at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The show is on for one hour, with an end time of 10pm.
We bet the Glads will be doing all the heavy lifting!
Read more: Celebrity MasterChef 2025: Jodie Ounsley is sent home after ‘freaking out’ over raw meat
