Gladiators host Bradley Walsh's stunning net worth, football career and 'seriously bad' health condition

The comedian and presenter hosts the final of Gladiators on the BBC

Bradley Walsh will be a familiar name to most avid TV watchers.

Not only does the comedian present the daily quiz show The Chase on ITV, but he also fronts hit BBC show Gladiators alongside his son, Barney.

The final of Gladiators airs on Saturday night and the Walsh duo will be front and centre. However, if Walsh Snr's first career had gone according to plan, it's likely he wouldn't have gone into presenting at all.

Bradley Walsh net worth

Walsh is considered among the richest TV presenters in the UK with a reported net worth of £18m, according to The Express.

According to figures from his WingIt Productions firm, Walsh saw his net worth going up £3.5 million in 2023. The presenter also owns a stunning £2.5m home in Epping, Essex.

“Bradley really is at the top of his game right now and is raking it in,” a TV insider told the Daily Mail. “He’s firmly established himself at the top of his profession and is the go-to man for both the BBC and ITV.

“And that shows no signs of slowing down either, as viewers can’t get enough of him.”

As a duo, Ant and Dec are among the wealthiest presenters, worth around £62 million each.

While other reports suggest Walsh may not be the richest presenter in the UK. Gary Lineker, who is also not a solo presenter, is believed to have a net worth of £30m according to some reports.

Football career that ended cruelly

Before becoming a household name as a comedian, actor, and host of The Chase, Walsh had his heart set on a career as a professional footballer.

In the Channel Five documentary series Bradley Walsh: The Laugh's On Me, he confessed that he would give up his TV career if he could have realised his football dreams.

In the late 1970s, Bradley was scouted by Brentford and played for the team for two years, including a loan stint at Barnet, until an injury forced him to hang up his boots. He had been recovering from a fractured ankle when he suffered another fracture on the other ankle just before a match against Plymouth Argyle.

The injury led to his early retirement at 21, but it ultimately paved the way for a highly successful career in comedy and television. Despite his achievements, Bradley admitted that he would trade it all to have remained a footballer.

In a 2012 interview with Sky Sports, he said: "I've done some fantastic things in my life and had some fantastic jobs, but football was my life. When I got injured it was a real shame. I'd fractured one ankle, recovered and I was supposed to be playing Plymouth Argyle on the Saturday and I fractured the other ankle. I spent the rest of the time on the treatment table, so I retired at 21.

"A lot of my mates are still playing or are involved, people like Wally Downes, Paul Walsh and Clive Allen and all them lads and I still know them all. But I wish I had taken my badges now and I would still be involved in football. I would love to try and coach a youth team now, because they don't play in the streets anymore."

'Seriously bad' health condition

Walsh has previously disclosed his battle with a "seriously bad" eye condition known as blepharitis, which results in itchy, swollen eyelids and can cause the eyes to stick together upon waking.

In an open discussion with GB News host Eamonn Holmes in 2023, Bradley shared: "People don't realise I have seriously bad blepharitis. I have to take one pill a day for it or I really struggle. I am going to need my eyes operated on at some point to sort it out. So many times, people have commented on how I look. But they don't realise. If I take medication though, I'm fine."

Back in 2020, five years ago, the beloved TV host opened up about his health concerns, expressing gratitude for feeling "lucky" after being alerted by doctors to a "silent killer" that was jeopardising his health. Having successfully reduced his cholesterol levels, Bradley reflected: "I was a time bomb."

He continued: "I was quite lucky in regards to the calcium test but my doctor said I produce too much cholesterol. It's a silent killer. I thought, 'Oh crikey, I'm gonna be bang in trouble here if I don't lose the weight and start dealing with this.'"