Shadow: Jefferson King
Troubling: A court heard how he was involved in a blackmail plot after a day of smoking drugs ‘degenerated rapidly’
Name: Jefferson King
Age: 59
Now: In 2009 he went into rehab and stayed clean, revealing in 2011 that he had beaten his addiction and worked at a rehab clinic to help people suffering from drug problems.
However, by last year he was back on illegal drugs – and last March King was charged with heroin possession.
A week later, a court heard how he was involved in a blackmail plot after a day of smoking drugs ‘degenerated rapidly’, according to the Sun.
The police released Shadow’s mugshot this week, showing him with hollow cheeks and dead eyes after he admitted taking part in a drug-fuelled blackmail plot.
King had demanded £1,000 last year from a mother for the safe return of her son who was allegedly being held hostage by a gang.
The former bodybuilder, who is barely recognisable from his 1990s heyday after years of drug abuse, is currently in custody awaiting sentencing at the conclusion of a trial of other alleged blackmailers.
Gladiators history: Jefferson’s Gladiators career fell apart when he was ousted off the programme for taking steroids. Soon after the drug scandal a mistress sold a tale of his infidelity to a newspaper and his marriage broke down.
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’
Fun fact: Jefferson become a wrestler following his TV career and had a cameo role in the Spice Girls movie Spiceworld in 1997.
Warrior: Mike Ahearne
Scandal: Last October, shamed former Gladiator Mike Ahearne hit the headlines as a court heard that he was caught by police with shopping bags full of steroids and CS spray canisters
Name: Mike Ahearne aka Warrior
Age: 59
Now: In 2018, shamed former Gladiator Mike Ahearne hit the headlines as a court heard that he was caught by police with shopping bags full of steroids and CS spray canisters.
The 59-year-old was a huge TV star as Warrior in the hit Saturday night show but fell from grace after he was jailed over a police corruption plot involving drug baron Curtis Warren and a detective chief inspector.
Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard 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.
But he 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.
Gladiators History: Ahearne, who played rugby union for England at youth level and represented Great Britain at Mr Universe, was a household name in the prime of his career.
Standing at 6ft 4in, the ex-doorman was one of the best known faces in Gladiators, as the programme attracted viewing figures as high as 14m at its peak.
But after seven years earning up to £100,000-a-year, his world of celebrity and luxury came crashing down, when he was linked to a corruption scandal.
He was arrested on the afternoon of Thursday, March 13, 1997 and accused of involvement in a plot to foil the prosecution of Philip Glennon Jnr.
Glennon Jnr had been accused of firing a handgun at a bouncer and then a police officer outside a Liverpool nightclub in 1996 and was charged with attempted murder.
Glennon Jnr is the brother-in-law of Liverpool drugs baron Curtis Warren, who tried to foil the investigation by paying corrupt officer Detective Chief Inspector Elmore ‘Elly’ Davies £10,000, to pass on details of what the police knew about the incident, when a doorman was also shot.
Ahearne had passed money from Warren to his friend Davies – then head of Merseyside’s drugs squad – for information about the case.
Following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court in 1998, at which Ahearne decided not to give evidence, the TV star was convicted of an act with tendency to pervert the course of justice and jailed for 15 months.
Cobra: Michael Wilson
Artist: A few years ago, Michael admitted during a piece in the The Guardian that he was often drunk on the show
Name: Michael Willson aka Cobra
Age: 57
Now: Now living in the West Midlands, Michael spends his time making watercolour paintings. He also travels to schools and youth clubs up and down the UK, promoting that keeping fit can be fun
A few years ago, Michael admitted during a piece in the The Guardian that he was often 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’.
‘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.’
Gladiator history: Thanks to his quick-thinking and agility he became a master of the Hang Tough ring and was also the best Duel podium contender having never been knocked off. He became a fan-favourite Gladiator alongside the likes of Shadow, Wolf, Jet, Lightning and Hunter.
Fun fact: Proving that good things can come in small packages, Cobra – whose real name is Michael Wilson – didn’t let his tiny height get in the way of victory.
Phoenix: Sandy Young
Moving on: Sandy now works as a florist and is a mother to two children in the West Midlands according to Gladiator fan sites
Name: Sandy Young aka Phoenix
Age: 55
Now: Sandy now works as a florist and is a mother to two children in the West Midlands according to Gladiator fan sites.
Gladiators history: ‘Phoenix’ was forced to leave the show in late 1992, reportedly for being unable to meet fitness standards.
Years later she was sentenced to 150 hours of community service in 1996 for attacking her ex-husband due to a custody disagreement over their son.
The kick-boxer and former Bodybuilding Miss UK broke her ex’s ankle in what was described in court as an act of ‘wanton violence and revenge’.
Fun fact: Sandy was unbeaten in two new events during ‘Gladiators Live!’ in 1993 at Wembley Arena.
Hunter: James Crossley
Trainer: James spoke to MailOnline recently about how he has turned his skills to yoga in a bid to age ‘pain free’, while his girlfriend is also a yoga teacher
Name: James Crossley
Age: 47
Occupation: James spoke to MailOnline recently about how he has turned his skills to yoga in a bid to age ‘pain free’, while his girlfriend is also a yoga teacher.
James is now currently working in the sports industry as a fitness instructor and personal trainer, but had dabbled in acting following his time in Gladiators. He most recently appeared on Channel 4’s, The Circle.
The TV star revealed that he has launched his own James Crossley coaching website to help people get fitter, as well as his yoga and gong bath practices.
Comparing his fitness now to when he starred on Gladiators in the 90s, James admitted that it is ‘very different’.
He said: ‘When I did Gladiators I was a machine. I was training twice a day, once with the weights, once with the events training, because the thing with Gladiators is all the events are very unique. My absolute fittest would have been in my late 20s.’
On Gladiators: ‘Discussing his time on the show, he said: ‘The first year I joined I couldn’t do anything – I locked myself away for a year to get better. You can be muscular and look good but it doesn’t mean you can climb those walls.’
Fun facts: James dated the show’s host Ulrika Jonsson, but the pair remained coy on their romance, until she uncovered all in her 2003 autobiography.
Wolf: Michael Van Wijk
Then and now: Michael now runs his own gym in Auckland, where he currently resides, which is named Wolf’s Gym, after his Gladiators personal
Name: Michael Van Wijk aka Wolf
Age: 68
Now : Michael owns a gym called ‘Wolf’s Gym’ in Auckland, New Zealand where he now lives. He had owned gyms previously before finding fame on Gladiators
Following his time on the show, he became a regular on the Kiwi Cage Fighting scene and also used to compete at national level in Jiu Jitsu championships, according to a 2008 Loaded article.
Michael appeared on Lorraine in 2019 and told the host he would love to revive gladiators, and 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.’
Gladiators history: He starred on the show for seven years and eight series throughout the entire time Gladiators aired on ITV.
Fun facts: Wolf was deemed the most popular gladiator on the series, albeit controversial thanks to his mean persona.
Ace: Warren Furman
Change: Having turned his back on showbusiness, Warren found God and now runs a Gospel choir in York, where he lives with his wife and two kids
Name: Warren Furman
Age: 48
Occupation: Having turned his back on showbusiness, Warren found God and now runs a Gospel choir in York, where he lives with his wife and two kids.
Speaking on This Morning previously, he said: ‘I used to worship myself, I thought I was fantastic. I have now turned to God’s grace. I am a Gladiator of the gospel.
‘You’ll never know God until you change your direction and so I realised this. It was great, we had loads of money and women, but I realised I had to change’.
Warren, who dated a young Katie Price in the 90s, admitted in 2019 during the appearance that he sometimes struggled to earn £20 an hour since the show finished.
Gladiator history: Four years after the show began in 1996, the blond hunk beat 60 other hopefuls for a place on Gladiators, where he stayed on the series until its end in 2000. He returned for the revival in 2008.
Fun facts: Warren was engaged to Katie in the late Nineties, during which time they enjoyed a particularly lavish lifestyle. He previously said: ‘We travelled the world first class, went for expensive dinners, had big houses and fancy cars’, yet things later broke off acrimoniously.
He said: ‘We were both deriving our identities from being relevant in the media. We were both selling stories.’
Amazon: Sharron Davies MBE
Heading up: Prior to heading on to the show, Sharron was a swimmer for Great Britain in the Olympics and European championships
Name: Sharron Davies aka Amazon
Age: 58
Now: Following her Olympic swimming career, Sharon now works as a BBC pundit.
Sharron was a swimmer for Great Britain in the Olympics and European championships. The media personality also organised a support group for parents of young athletes and does after-dinner and motivational speaking.
Sharron competed for England in the Commonwealth Games. She has produced various fitness videos and served as a patron of charities for disabled children.
She was most recently married BA pilot Tony Kingston for seven years. After their split she appeared to be looking for love again on dating app Tinder, however it turned out to be a fake profile.
Gladiator history: Sharron joined the show in 1995 yet a knee injury forced her to withdraw from the show in 1996. She famously complained of the health and safety aspects of the show
Fun fact: The blonde beauty enjoyed a stint on Dancing On Ice in 2011.
Jet: Diane Youdale
Now: Since her time on Gladiators has remained on views’ TV screens and radio airwaves, presenting on BBC Tees and featuring on BBC shows like Look North and Inside Out
Name: Diane Youdale
Age: 51
Now: Since her time on Gladiators has remained on views’ TV screens and radio airwaves, presenting on BBC Tees and featuring on…
