Long before ‘The X Factor’ and ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ dominated our screens, Saturday night TV was all about ‘Gladiators’.
The likes of Hunter and Jet were the Alexandra Burke and Rylan Clark-Neal of their generation, with millions tuning in each week to watch a group of beefed-up, spandex-clad athletes face off against a member of the public in a series of physical challenges.
Exactly 25 years on from when the original series first began, a handful of the show’s original reunited on ‘This Morning’ to mark the occasion, filling 90s kids up and down the country with fuzzy nostalgia.
Hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were joined by Jet, Hunter, Panther and Ace, as well as iconic referee John Anderson on the ITV daytime show, where they revealed what they were all up to now.
Diane Youdale (better known as Jet) now works as a psychotherapist and specialises in “wellness in the work place”, having sustained an injury during her time on the show that forced her to pull out.
James Crossley, who went by Hunter back then, now works as a trainer, while Helen O’Reily (aka Panther) owns her own gym.
Warren Furman, who competed as Ace, went on to have a high-profile engagement to Katie Price, but has since stepped out of the spotlight, having now found Christianity.
“Back then I did worship myself,” he said. “Now I am sort of gladiator for the gospel.”
Seeing them all back on screen lead to many fans to call for its return, as they shared their memories of the show on Twitter.
‘Gladiators’ made a brief return to screens in 2008, when Sky1 aired two rebooted series, which featured Kelly Brook’s ex and ‘Bromans’ star David McIntosh as one of the athletes.
‘This Morning’ airs weekdays at 10.30am on ITV.
Watch the full interview with the Gladiators in the video below...