Tom Stoltman, who was diagnosed with autism aged five, overcame his diagnosis to become the world's strongest man. He is now preparing to star on the fourth series of Gladiators, replacing former star Giant11:30, 22 Jul 2026Updated 11:30, 22 Jul 2026He is a 6ft 8in strongman set to take hit BBC TV show Gladiators by storm.‌But the show's newest star Tom Stoltman, 32, has told how he once struggled so badly with autism he was too scared to leave the house and couldn't even travel on public transport without support workers. He also had to be schooled one-on-one away from fellow pupils and there were fears he would always have to live at home with his parents.‌Tom, who has gone on to be crowned the World's Strongest Man three times, revealed the extent of his autism in his book 'Lifting: Becoming the World's Strongest Brothers', written with his older sibling Luke, who has been crowned Europe's Strongest Man twice.‌Writing in the inspiring tome, Tom, who was diagnosed with autism aged five, wrote: "To this day, I can’t really explain how being autistic makes me feel compared to other people. But I do know my childhood could be very scary."Certain things would trigger my tantrums. For example, if Mum told me to go to bed, I’d go berserk, lock myself in the bathroom and scream the house down. Eventually, Mum learned to modify her language, so my tantrums would only last three or four minutes, instead of an hour.‌"Going to busy, noisy places really affected me. When Mum took me shopping, I’d start screaming in the supermarket. Secondary school was big and terrifying. Suddenly, I was in a class with 30 or so noisy, hyperactive kids. I had lots of different lessons in lots of different rooms. There were strange new rules and lots of choices."Should I get my lunch on the high street or from the canteen? That sort of stuff blew my mind. After a while, I avoided going whenever I could, because it was all too much for me."Tom's mum Sheila, who tragically died from cancer in 2016, and his dad Ben, fought for extra help for him at secondary school after explaining he "was in danger of being lost in the school system". Tom said: "After that, I finally got some one-on-one help. But even with the extra help, life at the academy was a bit of a struggle.‌"The support teachers were great, but I found it a bit humiliating. The other kids wondered why I was getting one-on-one lessons in a different room, why I didn’t do exams with them, why I didn’t come in some days, why I got to go home before them. They didn’t see how I behaved at home, behind closed doors, so they didn’t know I was autistic."Whenever I met new people when I was out with Mum, my hood would be up, my head would be down, my legs would be shaking, my hands would be fidgeting, and I’d be staring at my shoes. I’d start stuttering and just about manage to say ‘hi’, but nothing more than that. If Mum bumped into someone she knew, she’d chat away for ages while I stood there like a mute."‌Tom admitted: "I only started using public transport when I was 15, and only then with support workers. I started out doing wee journeys to my sister’s house, or five-minute train rides. I found it terrifying and wore headphones so no-one would talk to me."Through it all, Mum and Dad never gave up on me. It was always a case of, ‘Tom’s got autism, what’s the big deal?’ They were unbelievable parents. If it wasn’t for Mum and Dad, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I’d be sat in their house, a shy, stuttering man, drifting through life."Tom will star in the fourth series of Gladiators, which will begin filming in Sheffield next month before airing on BBC One in 2027. He is replacing former Gladiator Giant, real name Jamie Biggs, who left the show earlier this year after claiming he had been forced out due to his new girlfriend Taylor Ryan’s OnlyFans career.‌Tom's Gladiator name has yet to be announced, but fans have already begun making suggestions, including Highlander, in homage to his roots in Invergordon, 23 miles north of Inverness. As a teenager, he had dreamed of becoming a footballer for his beloved Glasgow Rangers. He represented his county and was scouted by the Scottish Premier League giants, but admits that while the sport gave him "comfort" and was a "distraction", his autism still caused him issues, including finding playing with strangers "a bit of an ordeal".When he was aged 16, Tom admits he was "really lost" and "thought I might never leave Mum and Dad’s house" when he was taken to a local gym by his older brother Luke. He said: "That first time, I stuck to Luke like a limpet. As usual, I had my hood up and my head down. When Luke introduced me to one of his mates, I mumbled ‘hi’ and stared at my shoes. To be honest, I hated every minute of it, like I hated anything new.‌"When you’re autistic, three of the worst things are crowds, mirrors and people watching you. So, a busy gym was my worst nightmare, because it’s always bustling and there are mirrors everywhere. Luke was telling me to lift this and lift that, and I just felt mortified."I was this lanky kid with glasses, surrounded by beautiful people. Luke looked good, his mates looked good, the girls looked good, and everyone was stronger than me. I couldn’t even lift the bar on its own. I remember thinking, ‘This might be Luke’s thing, but it’s really not my cup of tea. Get me back on a football pitch, anything but this'."However, after a while Tom realised he had a talent for lifting and then began to enjoy working out in the gym, giving him a boost in confidence, which led to him meeting his now wife Sinead, who he says proudly supported him in achieving his aim of becoming a world-class strongman.‌The Scot won his first World's Strongest Man title in 2021 before retaining it in 2022 and winning the competition for a third time in 2024. He is officially Britain's Strongest Man after winning the title for the fourth time in February, but a hand injury stopped him being named strongest man in the world in 2026 when he was knocked out in the qualifying rounds.Speaking about his sporting achievements in his book, he said: "By becoming World’s Strongest Man, I’d proved so many people wrong. Sometimes I feel like pinching myself. How could a guy with autism achieve all this? But then I think it makes perfect sense. If I’d been a ‘normal’ guy, I probably would have finished school, gone to university and got a normal job.‌"My autism controlled me for a long time, but it meant I didn’t end up doing what most people do. I didn’t end up working in an office or a factory. Instead, I went in a different direction. And once I’d got to grips with my autism, I was able to do something remarkable with my life. Now I think that being born autistic is the best thing that’s ever happened to me."I’d also inspired thousands of autistic kids all over the world. They’d seen a guy who supposedly had something wrong with him beat a bunch of guys who were supposedly normal. That’s why I started referring to my autism as my superpower, because I wanted people to know it can actually be an advantage."Writing about what he would like to tell his own children about his experiences, Tom added: "I’ll describe the confused little kid I was, too afraid to leave his house or look people in the eye. The teenager written off by some as a no-hoper. The young man people thought would live with his parents forever and always have a dead-end job. But I’ll also tell them how supportive Mum and Dad were. I’ll tell them about the day Luke took me down the gym. How I didn’t quit, despite my discomfort. How I stuck it out for once, discovered I had a passion for it, as well as a talent.‌"When I discovered the gym, I also discovered that shifting weights and autism were the perfect match. But that was only my experience. The fact is, there are loads of things autistic people are good at. Chances are, they’re probably a lot better than you at something, even if they haven’t discovered that something yet. They might be amazing at maths or drawing or languages. They might have memorised every Harry Potter book. Whatever their special talent is, it’s a result of their autism, the superpower they share with me."Whenever I posted ‘Autism is my superpower’ on social media, I’d get kids replying, ‘Wow! I’m like Tom Stoltman, the World’s Strongest Man, and I can do anything!’ Instead of their autism being a negative thing, they now saw it as a positive, something to be proud of. That’s what I’m most proud of – showing that an apparent disability can actually be your superpower. That you can grow up fragile and become robust, in mind and body. That a scared wee, autistic boy can become the strongest man on the planet."Article continues belowLike this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.