Gladiators: where are the original stars of the show today?
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“Contenders, you will go on my first whistle, Gladiators, you will go on my second whistle…”. Starting in 1992, Gladiators was a sensation during its heyday: each episode saw four nervous contestants pit their talents against that of the show’s resident ‘Gladiators’, super-fit athletes who apparently thought nothing of whacking people around the head with gigantic cotton buds on Duel or leg-wrestling them into submission on Hang Tough.
Now the show has been rebooted – and the second season is about to air – what happened to the original stars, many of whom were household names during their tenure? We explore. Name: Diane Youdale. Jet was a firm fan favourite during her time on Gladiators and has stayed in the public eye since leaving. She started out as a gymnast before joining the show and rose to fame after, but sustained a serious neck injury in 1996, after falling from the Pyramid during a live show. Following that, she quit.
“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,” she said later. “After my accident, I decided to quit while I could. I decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. I wanted to leave while I could still walk out of the studio.”.
![[ITV Archive]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2021/01/12/15/shutterstock_editorial_739847y-1-1.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
After leaving, she found work acting and presenting on shows like BBC Tees and Look North. She became a PE teaching assistant, before eventually retaining as a psychotherapist. These days, she also appears on Big Brother’s Bit On The Side, analysing the housemates.
