NURSE Julie Stokes is leaving the subdued atmosphere of Fairfield's special care baby unit for one rather less peaceful.

For the staff nurse from Watling Street, Bury, is one of only 16 women contestants to be chosen out of 23,000 applicants for the TV show "Gladiators".

The mother-of-two will be swapping incubators and monitors for pugil sticks and bungee cords when she films her first heat of the show in August.

The keep-fit fanatic went through a gruelling audition to win her place on the show, and now can't wait to get started.

"I originally used the show's entrance criteria as a training target, something to work towards," she said. "But when I actually achieved them, I decided to have a go, and got through!"

Just to win the right to an interview, Julie had to:

Run 800 metres in under three minutes.

Do straight-armed chin-ups on command.

Traverse a 20ft horizontal ladder and climb a 20ft rope inside a minute.

Fight a 30 second bout with a pugil stick - the giant "cotton buds" used in "Gladiators".

"After all that I had to do an interview on camera, and then a final interview with Ken Warwick, the producer," said Julie.

"It's always good to have a target," said Julie.

Julie is a fan of the show, and her husband Adrian and two daughters Jemma (8) and Sarah (6) will be cheering her on when the heat is screened in the autumn. Julie trains at Louise Brooks Health Studios in Bury, under trainer Julian Monks.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.