Gladiators star Hunter has revealed how he was "forced to sign on the dole" after spending all the money he earned when he worked on the hit game show in the 1990s

Gladiators star Hunter has revealed how he was "forced to sign on the dole" after spending all the money he earned on the show. The bodybuilder, whose real name is James Crossley, found fame when he appeared on the hit TV series from 1993 until 2000, more than two decades before it was revived on the BBC with father-and-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh at the helm.

The TV star, now 52, was just 19 years old when he landed the gig and decided to treat himself to a luxury holiday to LA after filming had finished, but upon his return to the UK, he realised he had spent everything he had earned before the show had even been broadcast.

Speaking on the Remember Me? podcast, he said: [When] I came back, and I basically had no money left, and I couldn’t work because I was doing [Gladiators]. So I remember signing on the dole when I’d finished the filming. I signed on for about five or six months, and then I started getting the appearances."

Following his television heyday, James, who famously dated Gladiators presenter Ulrika Jonsson for a period of time whilst he was on the show, went on to appear in various theatre tours, release a fitness DVD and now has a career as a musician and also works in soundbathing. In 2024, he opened the London Handpan Academy where students learn to play the handpan.

Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings

Mum-of-four Ulrika has previously opened up about her on-set romance with Hunter. The Gladiators co-stars enjoyed a brief relationship in 1996 as they both worked alongside each other on the iconic show.

"Obviously I dated Hunter for about a year and a half and away from the show he was amazing and the sweetest, sweetest man," Ulrika, 58, said of her former flame. "He was only 22 when I think when I got together with him. Poor boy."

James returned to screens in 2021 as he took on a new alter-ego to appear on reality TV show, The Circle. He competed on the Channel 4 show as fictional NHS nurse 'Gemma' in a bid to win the cash prize, but his attempt to catfish his housemates failed and the former Gladiators star was eliminated from the series.

Ulrika acknowledged her former lover's TV comeback - sharing a number of cute social media posts dedicated to her one-time co-star. "It's too late at night for me to watch but he can be cute," the star captioned a close up shot of James appearing on The Circle.

Ulrika presented the sports entertainment game show alongside former footballer John Fashanu upon its launch in the UK in 1992. The programme's format saw four contestants, two male and two female, compete in a series of physical events against the show's Gladiators, eventually competing in one final event, with contestants aiming to secure a place in the grand final.

* Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter and Facebook .