Overview
- Lize van der Walt, who performed as Gold on Gladiators, died Sunday, April 19, in South Africa, according to the show's official statement.
- The tribute from Gladiators praised her "strength, spirit and determination" in the Arena and offered condolences to her son, Michael.
- She joined the UK series in 1997 after being selected from thousands of applicants, though injuries limited her run, and she returned in 2000 for a UK vs South Africa special.
- Born in South Africa and raised in Switzerland, she excelled at the 400m and relay and won a 400m gold in 1987.
- After leaving television she settled in Hermanus as an artist known for seascapes, with multiple reports noting a cancer diagnosis in 2013.