Gladiator Steel shares emotional message after premature baby son Leo dies

The athlete – known to fans as Steel from the hit BBC hit show ‘Gladiators’ – welcomed his little boy last month when his wife Samantha gave birth to him prematurely at just 23 weeks, with the tot weighing only 1lb 8oz, and Zack, 34, has now shared a heartbreaking message about his son's short life.

Sharing a video of the couple playing with their young daughter Ivy and wrote: "Three sets of footprints being made in the sand and one in the sky.

"One of my most special moments with Leo is also one that makes me so sad. When we spoke to him and held him tight with our hands, we would instantly see his stats improve and heart rate relax. We would watch the monitor and see it improving by the second.

"Even tho he was so young he felt our presence and knew his mummy and daddy. Sorry I couldn’t do any more baby boy."

Zack previously revealed Leo had arrived early and was “tiny, fragile, and fighting” – before announcing on Tuesday the newborn had lost his fight for life aged 13 days.

He posted a tribute to Leo on Instagram on Tuesday after he passed away, writing: “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.

"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."

Zack also shared a video in which he explaining he now sees strength in a new way after seeing his baby son fight to survive.

He said: "People would ask how strong am I and I’d answer with numbers of my squat, bench press or previous personal bests. Now I'd answer that very differently. Strength is holding my little precious boy knowing it’s breaking my heart but mending his."

Zack and Samantha married last September and are also parents to daughter Ivy, who is 23 months old.