Gladiators favourite issues stark warning to rivals as she reveals huge move away from BBC

Gladiators star Livi Sheldon, otherwise known by her character Diamond, will be swapping leotards for football boots as she competes in this year’s Soccer Aid for UNICEF. The match takes place on Sunday, June 9, at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium and Livi will join the likes of Robbie Williams, Usain Bolt and Paddy McGuinness on the pitch.

Livi will play for the World XI team, which has defeated the England side five years in a row.

Announcing the exciting opportunity, Livi, 29, tells Express.co.uk: “I’ve always wanted to do Soccer Aid and being a Gladiator has given me that opportunity. So, when I got approached, of course I said yes!”

As well as her incredible performances in the Gladiators arena, Livi has plenty of experience on the football field having played the beautiful game since she was a child.

The bodybuilder played for a boys’ team from the age of six and then moved to a girls’ team when she was around 12. She was eventually signed by Worcester City Ladies and was soon made captain.

Livi gave up the sport at age 18 as her bodybuilding career gained momentum. Nevertheless, she says football has always played a “huge part” in her life.

In a warning to her England rivals, the Gladiators star promises to be “very dominant on the pitch”. She reveals: “With my bodybuilding background, I have been training to become stronger for over 10 years and I've got a lot of muscle mass. I am definitely going to be able to hold my own on this pitch with all the guys and the other girls as well.

“Playing football for all those years and doing functional training has helped me become more agile. I'm a bit of an all-rounder and I've got all the great aspects of a great footballer.

“We had more than 3,000 people watching in the arena for Gladiators; I know there will be a lot more people watching Soccer Aid and I am definitely going to embrace every second of it.”