Gladiators' backstage secrets from original show - noisy bedroom antics, drugs battles and boozing

The original series of Gladiators wasn't all lycra and lifting - when the cameras weren't rolling, some of the contestants partied hard, had drug addictions and secret romances

The original Gladiators looked all fun and games on the show - but behind the scenes, there was a much darker side with partying, booze and drug addictions.

Back in 1992, the iconic ITV game show first aired on our televisions and saw competitors take on the ultimate test of speed and strength. Now, over 30 years later, Gladiators is returning with a brand-new batch of warriors.

As BBC's reboot makes its debut tonight, hosted by TV presenter Bradley Walsh, we take a look at what went on backstage in the '90s, from serious drug problems to racy romances and excessing drinking.

Partying and boozing

Michael Willson, known as Cobra, lifted the lid on the saucy secrets of the original Gladiators in an exclusive interview with The Mirror back in 2019. He said: "I didn't take it too seriously. I was mucking about pranking, I had so much fun. It was brilliant I was with a lot of mates with similar interests, we were all similar age, it was fun."

He added: "There were end-of-show parties, when we had international Gladiators come over, we would be up all night boozing." After falling into the party lifestyle, Michael admits he was drinking too much and even got a warning from producers who told him to cut back on the booze.

"I used to drink too much during the first three years, we didn't know whether we would be asked back, so we would party. Ironically I never used to drink a drop before I was on Gladiators," Michael explained. "We never had to drive anywhere, we had hospitality twice a day... so there would be wine and booze and stuff flowing. We used to have a school report and go in and see producers and they would say you've been drinking too much, partying too much."

Bedroom antics

While filming the shows, the cast would be put up in a hotel together and Michael confessed that his co-stars would often keep him awake with their noisy bedroom antics. He said: "There were loads of [off-screen romances], not so much for me, but... the room next to me was noisy. Every now and again there was a bit of banging on the walls. A lot of them were in relationships, but there were a couple of young single fellas there [who did alright for themselves]."

James Crossley, known as Hunter, was involved in a romance backstage and ended up dating the show's presenter Ulrika Jonsson. They kept their romance under wraps between 1996 and 1997 until Ulrika's autobiography came out in 2003. The star admitted that their relationship was incredibly physical. "Well, I guess I was infatuated with James," she explained. "It was a physical thing. And what a nice man he turned out to be."

Drug addictions

Jefferson King, known as Shadow, battled a serious drug problem during his time on Gladiators. The former bodybuilder eventually became mired in scandal when his addiction issues hit headlines and he lost his job on the show. Co-star Michael later alleged producers knew about Jefferson's problems for six months and "turned a blind eye" because he was their star Gladiator.

He told The Mirror: "They knew he was doing cocaine and steroids for six months and they turned a blind eye to it. He was a big star, it was a TV show not the Olympics, although we were being drug tested by the same people who did Olympians. They [the producers] said to the drug testers that they were going to get him help. They built him up to be such a big star, there was so much pressure on him."

Michael went on to admit he tried to help his friend, but he had no idea just how bad his drug problems were. He said: "He phoned me a few times and wanted to borrow more money. He already owed me some money as I paid his hotel bill and stuff, but I feel guilty for not helping him more. I did have a few phone calls with him later on. I didn't know how bad his drug problem was and I was like I didn't want to give him [any money] it was going to go on that rubbish [drugs]."

In 2009, Michael went into rehab and stayed clean for a while, however, he was eventually back on illegal drugs. In 2021, he was jailed for his part in a blackmail plot, where he threatened to kneecap a drug user if he did not pay a £1,000 debt. King was said to be addicted to heroin and crack cocaine at the time, and lived in a flat in Acton, west London that was a "safe haven" for people to take drugs in. He admitted two counts of blackmail and was sent behind bars for six years and three months.

Time behind bars

Michael Ahearne was cheered on by millions during his time as Warrior on the show, but his life came crashing down in 1997 after becoming embroiled in a plot to foil the prosecution of Philip Glennon Jnr. Glennon Jnr had been accused of firing a handgun at a doorman and a police officer outside a nightclub in 1996. He 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 in Oxton, Wirral, where he was the subject of an electronic tag.

In 2018, he made headlines again when he was the subject of a police raid at his home in the Wirral. Officers uncovered a stash of anabolic steroids. 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 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.