Gladiators icon Jet has admitted attacking her wife Zoe Gilbert during their 18-month marriage. Jet, real name Diane Youdale, says she developed an alcohol problem during their crisis-hit union that "pushed her over the edge" at times. The couple announced their shock split last week, just 18 months after tying the knot at an intimate service. Diane, an original star of the hit 90s show, was spoken to by police - but not arrested - after an altercation with Zoe, which saw the teacher reportedly fall over the back of the sofa.
Recalling this incident, which sparked the end of the marriage, Diane, 54, said: "She fell over the back of the sofa. I pressed on her chest three times firmly and I said, 'stop this now.' I can't remember what happened then. The next thing I knew I was being led out by the police...The living room was an absolute mess, there was coffee up the walls, writing all over the walls.". The incident happened at Zoe's home, where Diane lived until the couple ended their relationship. However, after meeting in a Tesco, the couple had enjoyed several happy months together before they tied the knot.
But Diane, now a counsellor and exercise coach, developed a reliance on alcohol, she said. Speaking to the Mail Online, the '90s pin-up added: "I stopped drinking in July last year and I haven't touched a drop since. I am so proud of myself for that. "I could see what it was doing to me, and I stopped overnight, it served no purpose in my life, and I needed to be strong enough and clear enough with all my facts in the right place. It was a terrible depressor, and I can't believe I did it to myself for so long.
"I have no interest in alcohol, but I know that I won't do that to my body ever again. I have my fitness and strength back. I have never been fitter or stronger than what I am now.". Jet has overcome her alcoholism, which she says was a catalyst for most of her arguments with Zoe, who is a teacher. Diane, originally from Billingham, County Durham, continued: "Maybe I was drinking self-consciously to self-medicate and block out what I knew was happening every night because it became a pattern.".
