Gladiators star Steel shares heartbreaking new picture of baby born at 23 weeks

Gladiators star Steel and his wife Samantha have shared a heartbreaking new photo of their newborn son born at just 23 weeks. They have named the tot Leo 'the Lion' George, in tribute to his incredible fight to live after arriving so prematurely.

In their latest post, Samantha shared a tear jerking snap of Leo's tiny hand resting on her finger. "Thank you everyone for your kind words and premature baby stories. Please keep them coming... they are giving us so much hope for our precious Leo," she wrote.

aby Leo arrived last week weighing less than 2 pounds. BBC star Steel, whose real name is Zack George, told fans that the tot is fighting for survival, as he lamented the baby should be 'tucked up inside his wife Samantha's tummy.'

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Zack, 34, posted a snap of his wife cradling their tiny newborn on Instagram. Brave mum Samantha snuggled the child into her chest, as he wore a tiny knitted blue hat while medical staff attended to them.

In his emotional post, Zack revealed: "Our Precious Boy Leo George [heart emoji]. You should still be tucked up inside mummy’s tummy but instead you entered the on the 26th March 2025 at just 23 weeks weighing 1 pound 8 ounces." He added: "You never truly know how quickly your life can be turned upside down but one thing we do know is that you are one hell of a strong boy and you are already defying the odds."

Ending the message, he continued: "Tiny, fragile and fighting." Zack revealed they have already nicknamed the son 'Leo the Lion' for his incredible bravery and will to fight.

According to the , babies have a chance of survival if they are born at 24 weeks but 'most babies born before this time cannot live because their lungs and other vital organs are not developed enough.' The care that can now be given in baby (neonatal) units means more and more babies born early do survive. But for babies born around this time, there are increased risks of health issues.

At 23 weeks, a baby's lungs are not yet able to work properly, according to NH guidelines, but they are practising breathing movements to prepare for life outside the womb.

Zack is one of the leading stars of the BBC's rebooted Gladiators series, before that he won the title of the UK's Fittest Man in 2020 and is one of the country's leading CrossFit stars.

Following Zack's update, many of his fellow Gladiators stars responded with their prayers and support. Toby Olubi AKA Phantom in the show wrote: "Praying for you and yours brother" while Montel Douglas, who also starred on last year's , replied: "Bubba Leo with the strongest genes I know! You got this baby boy."

Zack announced that he was to for the second time in January this year. He and wife Samantha are already parents to a daughter named Ivy.

The news was shared with fans as their daughter held up pictures of the baby scan. The caption read: "Ivy is very excited to have a new friend very soon! Little George number 2 in the making!"

Zack had always been a fitness enthusiast before landing the role as Steel on the reboot of the gameshow. But Zack hadn't always been the ripped star that fans have come to adore.

As a child, he was overweight and bullied for his appearance. But as a fan of the original show, Zack used it as inspiration to embark on a lifestyle of fitness and healthy eating. In 2020 he achieved the title of the UK's fittest man.

In an interview with The last year, Zack revealed: "When I was younger, I used to be really overweight, extremely self-conscious, and didn’t like the way I looked. I just used to eat a lot of junk food. I used to have McDonald’s four or five times a week and KFC two or three times a week, plus a bag of Haribo each day after school."

It seems that a contributing factor was his mum's willingness to please him as her rainbow baby. His mum Jackie had suffered seven miscarriages following the birth of his sister. And by his own admission, he "couldn't do anything wrong", as he was her miracle baby.

He added: "My mum always wanted a really big family. She had my sister, who is 40, then she had seven miscarriages then me, finally. So in my mum’s eyes, it was like I couldn’t do anything wrong. I loved to eat and she never wanted to tell me I was overweight because I was like her golden child."

But on realising his weight was making him unhappy, his dad Dudley enticed him to lose weight by promising to buy him a 2.

He explained: "My dad sat me down. I’ll never forget it. He said, ‘I know you’re after a PlayStation 2, how about we sort your diet out a little bit and then if we get a good bit of weight loss over the next couple of months, we’ll get you one?' "

He continued: "Lo and behold, after two months, I dropped a bit of weight and got the PlayStation. I didn’t realise it then, but I was setting a goal, working towards it, getting a reward, and then feeling really good about myself."

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