Bradley Walsh's 'massive backstory' with Gladiators spilled by show icon Hunter
Former Gladiators star James Crossley has given his reaction to Bradley Walsh as host of the upcoming BBC reboot.
James, 50, appeared on the original series, which aired from 1992 until 2000, and was a fan-favourite as Hunter.
Fans of the show are eagerly awaiting for the reboot of the popular 90s series, after it was confirmed the show would be making a comeback earlier this year.
The exciting news marks the first time that Gladiators, which was one of the most popular UK reality shows in the 1990s, will be back on our screens in over 25 years.
Bradley Walsh and his son Barney have been confirmed as the rebooted programme's new hosts. And now, Hunter has revealed Bradley, 63, has a past connection to the nostalgic show.
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The 50-year-old bodybuilder explained why The Chase host's 'massive backstory' makes him the perfect candidate to present the new programme.
"I like Bradley and I think he's great, so he'll do well as a presenter," James, who played Hunter on the original series, said. He also revealed that Bradley, 63, is no stranger to the Gladiators franchise.
Bradley Walsh will present the new Gladiators reboot on BBC (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
James Crossley has responded to the news that Bradley Walsh will present the Gladiators reboot (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)"I know Bradley very well because he married one of the head cheerleaders," the Hunter star told Betway. "When we did the show, they had a set of cheerleaders, and he was married to the head cheerleader. He was there all the time. He has a massive back story to the show, which people wouldn’t really know about. He spent a lot of time there."
Bradley married Gladiators' head choreographer, Donna Derby, in 1997, and went on to have son Barney with the talented dancing coach. The former soap star also likely understands the behind-the-scenes culture of the show, having competed in a Celebrities vs Jockeys special that same year.
"You couldn’t have anyone with better insight than him," James continued. "He spent years around that show, so he’s been there and he got really into it, he loved it. He’s a good person as a frontman for the show.”
As for James's predictions on how Bradley's grown-up son Barney, will perform as co-host, he admitted he doesn't know the 25-year-old well enough to make a judgement. "I can't really comment on him," he said.
Bradley Walsh with wife Donna and son Bradley (Getty Images Europe)"Gladiators has been a massive part of our family and it’s an honour to be asked to co-host this iconic show," said Bradley in reference to his new job. "I’m so excited for everyone to see the spectacle, elite athletes and fantastic family entertainment that is Gladiators."
Elsewhere in James's interview, he discusses the 'horrendous' injuries the Gladiators cast suffered and the determination he always had to push through the pain.
"I remember when I did the final show, which was Gladiators vs Gladiators, I dislocated my shoulder in the first event," he recalls. "They wanted to pull me from the show, which was the last show for the title of Ultimate Gladiator. But I said to the physio, ‘you’ll take me off here as a corpse, I’m not leaving the stage.’ At the time, I was so competitive and so in it, I would have happily lost my arm to be on that show. That was my mentality."
Earlier this week, Gladiators star Jet announced her plans to marry 'gorgeous' girlfriend after meeting in a supermarket. The 53-year-old, also known as Diane Youdale, had previously been in a relationship with James in the 1990s, but the couple would part ways due to work scheduling conflicts.
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