Drugs, prison, the Lord: where are the 'Gladiators' from the UK TV show now?

The ITV show ran from 1992 until 2000 and it was the Saturday night choice on the box for many families throughout the 90s. Everyone remembers the gauntlet, the pyramid, and the immense duel where two grown adults bashed each other with oversized earbuds. It made for excellent TV. But where are those Gladiator stars of the show now?

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Jet was a big favourite of the Uk population. She is one of the original cast, but sustained a neck injury and had to leave after the fourth season. "I was beginning to see more spinal injuries. You can damage your ankle or your knee and it will recover, but breaking your neck – that’s a different story... After my accident, I decided to quit while I could. I decided it wasn’t worth it any more. I wanted to leave while I could still walk out of the studio." 'Gladiators' was completely physically gruelling.

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Diane, now 51, is still as radiant as ever. She decided to retrain as a psychotherapist and pilates instructor. In fact, she has made her way back to the screen, not only for Gladiators reunions and interviews but also appeared as an expert therapist on 'Big Brother's Bit On The Side' from 2012 to 2014.

Photo: Screenshot from new fitness video for Lumen

Another favourite - in fact, you could even say he was the most popular - Gladiator. He is TV's original Mr Nasty and had some serious tough bad boy moves, including eating the yellow cards that were presented to him. He was relentless and many contestants feared going up against... The Wolf!

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Mike is now 66 and lives in New Zealand with his wife, four children, and dogs. He owns his own business - Wolf's Gym and has stayed incredibly fit. He has a strict fitness regime and diet and he is proud of keeping in good shape, saying in an interview, “Lots of men let their legs go, not me.”

The Queen of Hang Tough is the longest-serving star of the show. Just like a Boa Constrictor, she would clasp her opponents with her thighs and send them crashing to the floor. Her grip was so overwhelming that she would often give the poor contestants dead legs for a good while after the gruelling event. She went completely undefeated in the event for the entire running of the show. Hats off.

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Kim is now 49 and has spent 15 years in property development, as well as running companies including her own beauty parlour. She is tough on the inside and still tough on the outside. She often posts photos of her incredible physique on social media, proving she heads to the gym religiously. She has a peaceful, quiet side, though and lives on a farm with her husband and children.

Hunter was the youngest cast member as he was just 19 when he started, but because of his youth and good looks (not to mention the floppy golden ringlets), he became the 'Gladiators' heartthrob. There was speculation during the show that he was having an affair with the show's presenter, Ulrika Jonsson and in fact, it was later revealed in her 2003 autobiography that they had in fact dated for a year in 1996.

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James has kept up his love of fitness and is a keen weightlifter. He is a well-known body builder but nowadays is trading that harsh sport in for a more friendlier yoga. He works as a personal trainer but, before that, spent years pursuing an acting career and working in theatre.

Mark actually transferred from the original American version of the show, where he was one of the original American Gladiators then crossed the water to join the UK version. He finally called it quits with the show in 1999 but stayed on the screen, becoming a successful actor.

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Robotic dancing and body-popping Rhino got himself a recurring role in EastEnders before heading back to the states where he's starred in shows such as 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D' and 'NCIS: Los Angeles.' The father of three has also been in huge Hollywood films such as 'Batman Begins,' 'Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,' and Ben Affleck’s 'Argo.'

Although Warren Furman made his mark as one of the incredible Gladiators, he is also best known for being Katie Price's first fiancee back in the 1990s. He remembers the time (and mistakes he made): "We travelled the world first class, went for expensive dinners, had big houses and fancy cars... We both came from working-class families and were hustling for a few quid. We were put into a lifestyle where people had everything."

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Warren has since found God and lives in York with his wife and two children. In fact, fellow Gladiator, James Crossley, claimed that finding God saved Warren's life: “Ace is now a Christian, he’s turned to God. He had some quite horrific things happen in his life, really horrific, so it was either that or probably he wouldn’t be around now.” He now travels to schools spreading the word of the Lord.

Sharron, AKA Amazon, had to retire after just a year on the show due to a knee injury. But she has definitely made her mark. The athlete was a successful swimmer before becoming Amazon, winning a silver medal at the Olympics in Moscow in 1980.

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Sharron has been seen in the spotlight a lot. She went on to become a successful TV presenter and has hosted a range of popular shows such as 'Big Breakfast' while also appearing as a regular face on BBC sports. She took to the Ice in 2010 and competed in 'Dancing On Ice,' so Davis is another Gladiator to have maintained her physique. She covered the Olympics in Tokyo and her Twitter is a great one to follow for updates and comedy value alike.

The Gladiator Shadow found himself at the centre of a drug scandal. A routine drug test showed steroids in his system and he was booted from the hit show. He said at the time: "There is no excuse for cheating. I was mixing with drugs before Gladiators and when I was tested during the show there were no traces of cocaine but they found steroids."

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King became a wrestler and actually had a cameo role in Spice Girls movie 'Spiceworld' in 1997. Watch out for him! He eventually managed to steer clear of the drugs and turn his life around. Interestingly, he has put his experience to good use and now works in a drug rehabilitation centre.

A sad story and a complete fall from grace. In 1998, Ahearne was sent to prison for corruption and perverting the course of justice in a firearms case and served part of a 15-month jail sentence. He was let out early from prison after just six months, having impressed at Wealstun jail in West Yorkshire.

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It didn't get better for Ahearne and he was arrested on suspicion of possessing Class C drugs with intent to supply. He was charged over having CS spray and himself admitted three counts of possessing a weapon "designed or adapted for the discharge of a noxious liquid." So he was sentenced to six months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court in October 2018.

Panther has reigned supreme as one of Britain's top women bodybuilders. She has been named Miss Central Britain, Miss Europe, Miss North Britain, Miss England, Miss World, Miss Great Britain, Miss Russia, and Miss Universe. Helen joined in series one in 1992 and left in 1997, despite continuing after a terrifying fall from the tilt platform in series three.

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She shared her love for fashion with two of her colleagues from the show: Vogue and Saracen. Together, they opened a fashion shop in Surrey. But these days you will see her more at the gym she set up in Uxbridge, 'Panthers Gym.'

Photo: Helen O'Reilly - AKA Panther from The Gladiators / Facebook

Fame brought great things for the Gladiators, but also terrible exposure and the rock and roll lifestyle. Leg-kicking Michael Wilson struggled with the fame, turning to drink until a point he couldn't even chase contestants up the 32ft high wall as he was too drunk. "I was mucking about pranking, I had so much fun. It was brilliant I was with a lot of mates with similar interests, we were all similar age, it was fun. There were end-of-show parties, when we had international Gladiators come over, we would be up all night boozing."

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Michael, who in the end ruptured his shoulder, leads a much quieter life now after leaving the showbiz world. But sadly, Cobra was seriously ill and battled pneumonia in hospital. But he is trying to stay positive until the next virus takes hold of him, "I don’t feel like I’m kicking the bucket at the minute, but it will only take another cold or cough and I’m in trouble."

Photo: Instagram

Sandy Young is a real 'before and after' story. She is a former champion bodybuilder and Thai boxer who went on to become a loved member of the Gladiators cast in 1992.

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A real change of hobby and job, Sandy is now a florist in the West Midlands. Peaceful and beautiful, Sandy suffered from fame during the show so gave it all up for a quiet life.

Photo: Facebook

Gladiator Saracen was a regular feature in the ITV show. He starred in all eight series of the Saturday night episodes.

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He became a member of the fire brigade and has also appeared flexing his muscles both on daytime TV, appearing in 'This Morning,' and in the 'Ninja Warrior' course in 2015. He was still as nimble as ever.

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A British heptathlete who competed at three Olympic Games became Nightshade to the public as she took on the challenge in the Gladiators ring. Judy continues to work in the fitness industry.

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Her passion for sports has never faltered and she has become a sporting ambassador. She is also an honorary president of the Women’s Sports Federation. But it hasn't been all glory, the sportswoman suffered immensely in her private life. Her eight-month-old daughter died due to meningitis in 1999, leaving her devastated.

Kate Staples is a former British pole vaulter but we know her better as Zodiac. She was particularly great at the Pendulum and in the Pursuit event but didn't do so well in the Pole Axe event. she took a terrible fall and had to step back from her prominent role in the series.

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Hand in hand with ex-GB athlete Daley Thompson, the mum-of-two now runs adventure boot camps. She was previously married to rugby player Chris Sheasby - whom she divorced in 2016.

No one will ever forget those words ringing round their homes on a Saturday night, “Contenders, you will go on my first whistle. Gladiators, you will go on my second whistle. 3… 2… 1…”.

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Now 87 years old, Anderson is still a sports fanatic. He has only recently stopped playing tennis but reportedly still goes to the gym three times a week. John is now retired but not before he coached an Olympic athlete at every edition of the Games from 1964 to 2000.