Gladiators star Steel revealed the heartbreaking news that his baby son Leo had died on Tuesday – after sharing that he was born prematurely at just 23 weeks.

Zack George shared with his fans on Saturday that his baby boy was born prematurely and was ‘tiny, fragile, and fighting’.

The Gladiators icon, 34, better known as Steel to fans of the hit BBC show, took to Instagram to share the news that his wife, Samantha, had gone into premature labour last month.

And on Tuesday Zack announced the tragic news of his son’s death, writing on Instagram: ‘Your mummy brought you into this world and your daddy held you as you left. Leo…… you showed us what the true definition of strength is and we are so proud of you.

‘You brought so much positivity to the world with the short time you were with us and we felt that positivity in abundance, we thank you all so much for that.’

Zack continued: ‘Although you were only with us for a short time, you brought us a lifetime of love. Thank you for letting us know that YOU had had enough of this fight. We will forever be grateful that we didn’t have to make that decision for you.