This Morning viewers baffled as Gladiators star refuses to answer any questions

‘Oh Viper, meet us halfway buddy,’ host Dermot O’Leary pleaded with star of BBC show

This Morning viewers were left baffled by a recent interview featuring three new Gladiators, as Viper refused to answer any questions that were put to him.

On Tuesday (16 January), Viper– real name Quang Luong – was joined by fellow Gladiators Fury and Legend on the ITV daytimeshow, hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Josie Gibson, to talk about the return of the hit Noughties game show.

However, the Surrey-based bodybuilder, wore an angry expression throughout the five-minute segment and refused to answer Gibson’s question about being compared to original Gladiator Wolf.

“Oh Viper, meet us halfway buddy,” O’Leary quipped.

Viper, who can bench press the weight of an adult panda, has crowned himself the show’s villain – just as Michael Van Wijk’s Wolf did on the original series.

Gladiator Legend – who is fitness influencer Matt Morsia – also stayed true to his character when he declared he was “just a great all-rounder, just a great guy” as O’Leary and Gibson burst out laughing.

Fans reacted to the “awkward” interview on X/Twitter with several people confused by Viper’s appearance on This Morning.

“This is awful. Please stop,” one fan comment read. Another person wrote: “This is cringe. #ThisMorning.”

“A bit awkward at the end there,” a third fan noted.

Others pointed out that the Gladiators stars were in character, with one person writing the interview was “quite funny”.

O’Leary and Gibson burst out laughing during the ‘awkward’ interview (ITV/This Morning)

Viper has previously described his character as “mean, moody, sneaky and powerful”.

Gladiators returned to TV screens last week, with an all-new cast of elite athletes and contenders taking part on the rebooted BBC show.

The broadcaster announced it was reviving the sports entertainment show last year, naming father-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh as original host Ulrika Jonsson’s replacement.

During an appearance on Lorraine ahead of the show’s premiere, Jonsson, 56, complained about one aspect of the reboot – taking issue with the absence of cheerleaders on the show.

Host Christine Lampard asked the Gladiators icon: “There’s one thing lacking this time around, which I know you’re not happy about.”

Viper has described his character as ‘mean, moody, sneaky, and powerful’ (BBC)

Jonsson replied that, while the revival brought “tears to my eyes” and evoked a feeling of nostalgia for her time on the show, she blamed “some kind of wokery” on the decision to leave out the “gorgeous” cheerleaders.

“No cheerleaders!” she explained. “I just don’t understand it. I don’t understand if it’s some kind of wokery. The cheerleaders brought another level and some depth to it.”

The original series, which aired on ITV from 1992 until 2000, featured a group of cheerleaders known as the “G-Force”.

Jonsson, who is not involved in the new version, continued: “They’re gorgeous and talented girls! We had such a lovely time with them.”

“I don’t understand,” she said. “They were so great, it’s just a shame… I don’t know what the reasons are.”