Gladiators star Lize van der Walt, also known as Gold, has died at the age of 60.
The athlete and TV personality died on April 19 after a battle with cancer, with her passing announced in a post on social media.
Lize appeared on the original run of Gladiators, and joined the show in 1997 after beating out thousands of applicants, but her time on the programme was cut short after she struggled with injury.
Her death was announced on the Gladiators Instagram page, with a statement reading: ‘We’re deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Gladiators’ golden girl, Gold.
‘Chosen from thousands of applicants to become one of the show’s new Gladiators, she quickly made her mark.
‘Although injury limited her appearances, she showed incredible resilience and when she did compete, she proved that all that glistens truly was Gold.
Gladiators star Lize van der Walt, also known as Gold, has died at the age of 60 after a battle with cancer (pictured on the show in 1997)
‘Originally from South Africa, Lize was a talented athlete long before Gladiators, excelling in the 400m and relay.’
Lize, who hails from South Africa but grew up in Switzerland, received a gold medal for the 400m in 1987, when she was 21, and was also a keen adventurer.
She climbed Table Mountain in Cape Town before relocating to the UK in the 1990s.
