Jodie Ounsley is one of the celebs taking part in Celebrity MasterChef 2025. (Scott Garfitt/BAFTA via Getty Images)
Jodie Ounsley is one of the celebs taking part in Celebrity MasterChef 2025. (Scott Garfitt/BAFTA via Getty Images)
Jodie Ounsley is one of the stars set to put their culinary skills to the test on this year’s Celebrity MasterChef.
Ounsley is in good company, as she’s joined by the likes of Love Island’s Chris Hughes, who is also JoJo Siwa’s beau, and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Ginger Johnson.
But for many, this will be the first time they have heard of Ounsley, so we’ve done some digging to shed light on what the star is known for.
Who is Jodie Ounsley?
Ounsley is 24 and hails from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
The TV star is perhaps best known for appearing as “Fury” on Gladiators. Prior to joining the rebooted BBC One series last year, Ounsley was a professional rugby player.
Her rugby career saw her play professionally for Loughborough Lightning, Sale Sharks Women and Exeter Chiefs Women. She made history as the first deaf woman to play for an England senior side and announced her retirement in April 2024.
Ounsley, who is a former British Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, also worked as an interviewer for Channel 4’s coverage of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Sadly, her father, who was a contender on Gladiators in 2008, died while out on a walk on Sunday (30 November). In an Instagram post dedicated to her dad she wrote that she was “heartbroken” and will always remain her “absolute hero”.
“He encouraged me to dream big and loved me wholeheartedly, and for that I will be forever grateful,” she shared.
She has also been open about being born profoundly deaf, meaning she has no hearing whatsoever in both ears.
Last year, she shared a post about her deafness on Instagram, sharing that it has taken her “a long time” to be where she is with her confidence now.
She wrote: “Confidence comes with time, the more I was just a bit more open and honest with people (especially in situations when I’m struggling) it has done wonders for me, my confidence started to slowly grow, I then learnt to embrace being deaf – it’s part of who you are and that’s pretty special hey.”
Does Jodie Ounsley have a partner?
Yes, the Gladiators star is currently dating her former teammate Ellen Ramsbottom, who currently plays for Sale Sharks.
In July, the pair went public with their relationship in a YouTube vlog. She shared: “By now, you should know that Ellen’s my partner. We met when we were 16, and we both come from a rugby background. We played in the Premiership and played at Loughborough Rugby together.
“It’s funny how life’s worked out because in the past year we’ve both stepped away from rugby.
“So it’s been kind of a transition — coming out of rugby, because that’s all we’ve ever known since I was like 15 or 16 — to now finding new ways of exercising and finding things we like. Don’t we?”
Ramsbottom joked: “Yeah. Cuz otherwise I will get fat — ’cause I love eating and I don’t always like moving.”
Ounsley then shared that her girlfriend has signed up for the Manchester Marathon next year.
The pair also share moments from their relationship on Instagram. In September, Ounsley shared a sweet clip of them laying on the beach admiring the sunset.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
