Gladiators star Jet rose to fame on the hit BBC show in the 90s – becoming an instant hit with fans. The star, whose real name is Diane Youdale, aged 54, made headlines due to her relationship with her co-star Hunter, aka James Crossley, aged 51.
The pair, who have remained good friends since their split, are reuniting on our TV screens tonight as they take part in BBC show Celebrity Antiques Road Trip tonight (Wednesday, January 8). They’ll be joining Margie Cooper and Ishy Khan in their bijou classic Fiat 500 as they traverse the mean streets of Lancashire for some antique bargains.
But what do we know about Jet’s life away from her TV career? Below we look at the life-changing injury that caused her to quit Gladiators, her relationship with Hunter, her marriage to a woman, her new career and the hidden illness she battled during her teenage years.
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Jet’s real reason for split from Hunter
Diane and James were together for two years while they co-starred on the show. James went on to date host Ulrika Jonsson, but Diane said their was no crossover.
She confessed their relationship had actually fizzled out because of their age difference. She once remarked: “I think he was 19 and I was like 21. I mean I’m a cougar at 21.
“We remained good friends ever since and it was after I’d left the show that I think he got together with Ulrika.” The pair have remained good friends since, with Diane showing her support for her ex on social media when James appeared on Netflix show The Circle.
Jet’s life-changing injury
Diane’s career on Gladiators came to an abrupt end when she suffered a near-fatal neck injury on the show in 1996. She was left in great pain lying on the floor after falling from a large pyramid while wrestling with a contender.
She had landed awkwardly and heard her neck ‘snap’. She told the Metro: “My accident was on Pyramid, and I remember I had a contender – who I have met since then – who was a bit bigger, stronger and faster than me. And I pushed off the pyramid with her, they like these aerial tackles because it’s good car crash TV, and I just remember landing here and my bottom was there and she was almost on top of me.
“By the time I hit the floor at the bottom of the pyramid, my head was in the way.” She was worried she had broken her neck, saying she knew she was in trouble as she had “heard that snap before”, adding that she had landed “literally pencil-point down”.
The doctors later confirmed she had compressed her spinal cord, noting how fortunate she was to survive. This incident led to the pyramid’s removal from the show and Jet’s decision to exit. She previously said: “I made that choice, and that was to leave. I just thought ‘I’m out of there’. I’m sorry, but that was too close for comfort.”
Jet’s health battle at age 14
Since leaving the show, Diane has undergone a huge change in career, becoming a psychotherapist and counselor who specializes in helping young people with eating disorders. She suffered from bulimia from the age of 14 to 19.
She previously told the Daily Post: “I had bulimia for five years between the ages 14 and 19, so I know how it feels to feel unhappy or uncomfortable with your own body. It was a difficult time for me on a personal level as I had left my home in the north east of England at the age of 16 and was living in London training as a choreographer and dancer.
“The bulimia I developed was a body image thing. I wouldn’t eat for a few days and would end up being so hungry that I’d then binge on food. You are then in a position where you take a laxative or make yourself vomit.
“Luckily, I conquered bulimia when I learned about nutrition and the science behind it and what happens to your body when you start to eat good, healthy food.”
Jet’s marriage to a woman
Diane surprised fans when she announced she had married Zoe Gilbert in a secret ceremony only attended by six friends and family members. Their romance blossomed after meeting in a supermarket car park and Diane proposed just four months later.
Sharing details with Closer magazine, she revealed: ‘We’re married! We kept it very very quiet. Literally nine people on the planet knew. We wanted to keep it really tiny.
“It was casual, I didn’t wear a dress. I wore a nice boho-type top, trousers and a beautiful pair of sandals. Zoe wore her chinos, brogues and a nice shirt with a waistcoat. She looked ever so smart, I cried a lot.”