The iconic show Gladiators thrilled viewers for years as contestants took on TV's toughest opponents in a number of physically-challenging events.
It was based on an American show of the same name and ran on ITV from 1992 until 2000. Presented by Ulrika Jonsson and John Fashanu it raked in millions of viewers every Saturday night as people battled it out against the Gladiators to secure a place in the final event 'the eliminator'.
Over the years it had its share of controversies, including contestants 'greasing' their legs to evade capture and a number of serious injuries which led to Gladiators retiring. With a drop in viewing figures the show was axed in 1999 with the last episodes airing shortly after.
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We have taken a look back at some of the most famous Gladiators and where they are now
Wolf (Michael Van Wijk)
The oldest of the Gladiators at the time, and one of the longest serving, Wolf is now 69. Something not known to fans of the show, who used to revel in his defeats as 'who's afraid of the big bad wolf?' played out around the arena, is that he got his inspiration for his Wolf persona after an unsuccessful audition for Kevin Costner movie Dances With Wolves in 1989.
According to an article in Loaded from 2008, Wolf, real name Michael Van Wijk, became a regular on the Kiwi Cage Fighting scene after the show and used to compete nationally in Jiu Jitsu championships. He is a twice silver medallist competing against fighters half of his age for the New Zealand title and he made a shock appearance on Lorraine in 2019 when he said he'd love the show to return.
He said: "I would love to do it, I wish the producers would bring it back. You would get all the baby-boomers from the past watching it and you would get a new generation coming up as well."
Amazon (Sharron Davies MBE)
Olympian Sharron Davies took up the nickname Amazon when she appeared on series four of the show in 1995. This was following a competitive swimming career which saw her represent Great Britain in 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
She has won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and took home silver for Team GB in the 1980 Olympics in the 400m individual medley. After Gladiators she appeared on Dancing on Ice in 2010 but was the seventh celeb to be eliminated.
Now 59, Sharron has been married three times, to John Crisp from 1987 to 1991, then to athlete Derek Redmond in 1994, with whom she had two children, before divorcing in 2000 and then to pilot Tony Kingston who she had her third child with at the age of 44. Sharron has spoken openly about her IVF battle to have her third child after two miscarriages.
Warrior (Michael Ahearne)
Michael Ahearne was cheered by millions during his time on the show but his life came crashing down. He played rugby union for England at youth level before becoming a prize winning bodybuilder - representing Great Britain at Mr Universe.
The 6ft 4in athlete became a household name as one of the stars of Gladiators during the first six series and was earning up to £100,000 a year. However, his world came crashing down in 1997 after becoming embroiled in a plot to foil the prosecution of Philip Glennon Jnr, a then associate of former international cocaine baron Curtis Warren.
Glennon Jnr had been accused of firing a handgun at a doorman and a police officer outside a nightclub in 1996 and was charged with attempted murder of both. Glennon Jnr was jailed at Preston Crown Court in 1998 for six years for attempted murder.
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. Ahearne was released from prison after just six months, having impressed bosses at Wealstun jail in West Yorkshire.
He returned to his home on Oxton, Wirral, where he was the subject of an electronic tag. Police raided the former bodybuilder's home in leafy Rose Mount, Oxton, Wirral on January 23, 2018. They retrieved a large stash of various anabolic steroids, contained in a plastic Tesco shopping bag, another carrier bag and two boxes.
Ahearne was arrested on suspicion of possessing the Class C drugs with intent to supply, but no charges were brought over the haul. However, Ahearne, now 61, was charged over the CS spray and admitted three counts of possessing a weapon "designed or adapted for the discharge of a noxious liquid".
He was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Liverpool Crown Court in October 2018 for these offences.
Jet (Diane Youdale)
One of the originals, Jet was a fan favorite for the first four seasons she appeared on the show. Diane Youdale joined Gladiators when she was just 22 between 1992 and 1996, but a serious neck injury prompted a sudden change of career for the star. She had dated James Crossley, Hunter from the show, but they split blaming their busy work schedules.
Diane did some more TV work after ditching the pink lycra, but eventually re-trained as a psychotherapist. She said in 2014 : "I did four-and-a-half years on the show, but it was starting to get more and more dangerous. 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."
Diane fell during a live show at Wembley Arena while competing in the Pyramid round, which involved trying to stop a competitor from reaching the summit by wrestling them to the ground. She fell awkwardly while tackling the contender, trapping the nerves in her neck, which prompted her to retire from the programme.
She said: "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. I love hiking and I didn’t want that to be taken from me for the sake of someone’s entertainment."
Lightning (Kim Betts)
The only female Gladiator to appear in every series, Kim Betts is now 49 years old. As well as having a real knack for making quick work of games like Hang Tough and The Wall, former gymnast and bodybuilder Kim made headlines for returning to the show, just three years after giving birth to her son in 1999.
Now a Equestrian Yard & Fishery Owner, Kim is a regular on Instagram where she'll often post pictures of herself working out in the gym. Winner of 2020 IBFA Miss Universe, this week Kim shared a throwback picture of her and her husband on the Gladiators set back in 1994.
Trojan (Mark Griffin)
While you may not have realised it was him, Trojan, real name Mark Griffin, has appeared in various films including Daddy Day Care, Dr Dolittle 2 and The Hard Corps and had TV roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm, NCIS and even Doctor Who. Mark, now 53, has a daughter with fellow Gladiators star Kate Staples (Zodiac).
Blaze (Eunice Huthart)
The Liverpool fitness fanatic won Gladiators as a contestant in 1994 and was the only UK contender to ever become a Gladiator, playing her alter-ego Blaze. Since being on the show Eunice became a stuntwoman and has appeared in a number of Hollywood blockbusters doubling for A-list celebs.
After winning International Gladiators in 1995, she worked on the James Bond film GoldenEye, where she acted as a stunt double for Famke Janssen. She has since carved out a successful career with around 100 films to her credit, doing stunts in films such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Salt, Mr and Mrs Smith and the Wolfman.
She was the stunt coordinator on Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and in 2012 she was back in her hometown filming for the Fast and Furious movies in the Birkenhead Tunnel. At the time she told the ECHO: "We’re very lucky because Liverpool has this four-lane tunnel which directors just love filming in.
"It’s great for chase scenes, we worked in it for the Harry Potter films. This time round, though, I’m just doing a bit of driving. I’m taking a bit of a back seat, I’m used to co-ordinating the chaos, but this time I’m just causing it.
"There’s nothing better than crashing fast cars, brushing myself off and waking up with bruises the next day and starting all over again. The script is brilliant and Liverpool has some great streets which can easily double as European or American streets. It’s great to be able to have some craic with the lads and relax."
Eunice, who lived in Childwall, also worked on Maleficent with Angelina Jolie, Eunice has worked closely with the actress for many years as her stunt double. They first met when Eunice was brought in to double for Angelina as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider movies.
Eunice said: “Maleficent was 10 months of hard work, pressure and responsibility. It’s very demanding. About three months before anything was filmed, I already knew in my head shot by shot how I want the stunts to look, how the characters will move or how much the actor will be able to play.
“Obviously it’s a huge collaboration with the director and because I know Angelina so well, on Maleficent we were able to play to her strengths.”
Hunter (James Crossley)
The show's heartthrob Hunter, real name James Crossley, was a massive favourite with viewers and with presenter Ulrika Jonsson who he dated during his time on the show. He made a string of public appearances thanks to his TV fame, including a rather random one when he promoted Ginster pasties in Gateshead's Metrocentre.
Four years ago bodybuilder James, now 48, broke a world record for breaking Dinnie Stones in Scotland, but that has now been eclipsed. He made a comeback to TV last year as one of the catfishes on the new series of The Circle pretending to be NHS nurse Gemma.
Rhino (Mark Smith)
Mark was one of the stars of the original American version of the show before transferring to the UK version. He exited the show in 1999 and went on to become a successful actor, living in Los Angeles.
He had a recurring role as 'Jonhson' in EastEnders before heading Stateside, where he's starred in shows such as Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D, and NCIS: Los Angeles. His movie roles include parts in acclaimed dramas Yardie, Creed, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. He also made an appearance as 'Shadow Warrior' in Batman Begins.
Cobra (Michael Wilson)
An original cast member, Cobra, real name Michael Wilson made some shocking claims in The Guardian newspaper a few years ago when he admitted to being drunk on the show. He said: "I remember looking at The Wall and thinking, 'I've got to chase this guy up it and I'm bleeding drunk'."
The now 58-year-old added: "We never had to drive anywhere, we had hospitality twice a day so there would be wine and booze and stuff flowing. Ironically, I never used to drink a drop before I joined Gladiators." A few years ago Mark became seriously ill as he battled pneumonia.
Panther (Helen O'Reilly)
Panther was in the first five series of the show. Real name Helen O'Reilly, the Blyth-born athlete had a number of titles to her name, including Miss Great Britain, Miss Universe and Miss North Britain.
Disaster struck for the star in the third series when she was involved in one of the most horrific accidents in the history of the show. Falling head first while competing in the Tilt, she sustained serious neck and back injuries which took five months to recover from. Helen did manage to return to the show, however she decided to quit for good in 1996.
In an interview with a Gladiators fan site, Helen said: "I think I’ve changed quite a lot… most people don’t recognise me… age, hair, colour change and of course I don’t wear the trademark Panther Lycra anymore!”
She opened a fashion shop in Surrey with fellow Gladiators Vogue and Saracen. Now 58, Helen runs Panthers Gym in Uxbridge.
Shadow (Jefferson King)
The Gladiator who was at the centre of the most controversy during his time on the show as well as being the most feared star for contenders to come up against particularly on Duel where he took no prisoners. Professional bodybuilder Jefferson King, now 60, was at the centre of a steroid abuse scandal which saw him lose his job on the show in early 1995, shortly after he'd finished his second successful pantomime stint at Sunderland Empire as King Rat in Dick Whittington.
He landed a surprise role in Spiceworld: The Movie in 1997 but then ended up in prison on numerous occasions as his drug habit spiralled. In 2015, Jefferson revealed he spent eight years in and out of prison for drugs offences and shoplifting after stealing and begging to feed his habit.
He said: "I felt like a leper after Gladiators. I was on the biggest programme there was – bigger than Blind Date and Noel’s House Party. People were rushing home to see Gladiators on a Saturday night. Then after I was fired... people saw me differently. It felt like I’d had a life and then all of a sudden I didn’t."
Ace (Warren Furman)
Real name Warren Furman, in 2019 Ace, who dated a young Katie Price in the 90s, revealed in 2019 he sometimes struggles to earn £20 an hour since the show finished. Appearing on This Morning, he said: "When you've had something like that and it's taken away from you and you're not earning a living out of it anymore, and all people want to know is daft stuff - well it seemed daft because now I wasn't earning any money."
Moving onto his relationship with Katie Price, Warren, now 49, added: "We were both deriving our identities from being relevant in the media. We were both selling stories.”
Phoenix (Sandy Young)
Young, now a mum of two, is a former champion bodybuilder and Thai boxer who competed in the first series of Gladiators in 1992.
She was also unbeaten in two new events during ‘Gladiators Live!’ in 1993 at Wembley Arena. Sandy is now a florist in the West Midlands according to Gladiator fan sites.
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