| Ella-Mae Rayner | |
| Nickname: | "Comet" |
| Nationality: | English |
| Birth Date: | 24 April 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England |
| Hometown: | Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England |
| Alma Mater: | Birmingham University |
Ella-Mae Rayner (born 24 April 1995) is an English former elite gymnast, fitness model and television personality, known for appearing in BBC's sports game show Gladiators as "Comet".
Ella-Mae Rayner was born on 24 April 1995 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, East of England and moved and raised in Rotherham, South Yorkshire at the age of 3. She picked a sports degree at the Birmingham University.[1]
Rayner previously competed in gymnastics in her younger years, diving as a teen and then cheerleading on National level during her University times.[2] However, an serious ankle injury changed her career. Unable to continue with cheerleading or gymnastics, Rayner found herself in the gym. Nowadays she trains up to six days a week, in addition to working as a fitness model and coach.[1] [3] [4]
She has also gained a following on social media, primarily on Instagram and TikTok, where she has over 600 thousand followers.[5] In 2023, she was named as one of the Gladiators in the game show of the same name.[6] Earning the fierce moniker "Comet", she has been described as the "new generation's Jet" (Diane Youdale), who herself also came from a similar gymnastics background.[2] Due to her "elegance, dynamic flexibility and strength", Rayner's favourite event on the show is "Hang Tough", in which she unfortunately suffered a severe leg injury[7] during the filmings of the first series. Her appearances restricted to three episodes, as she was forced to retire for the rest of the series. However, she has said to been in full recovery and is set to return "even stronger" for the second series.[8]
Rayner is 5 ft 8 in,[9] and is in relationship with her entrepreneur boyfriend James Exton.[10]