Where is original Gladiator Cobra now? From health scare to 'drunk on set' admission
Gladiators is being rebooted for the BBC with a whole new cast, but what happened to the original team?
Gladiators for the new series named
Gladiators is making a comeback on the BBC later this year and fans of the original agility competition series will see a whole host of new faces.
The original show came to an end more than 20 years ago, with Michael Willson starring as Cobra.
The professional sportsman, now 59, has spoken candidly about his time on the show and how he almost got into trouble with the show's bosses.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2019, he admitted he was "glad [he] hasn't kicked the bucket" yet.
“I keep seeing people bringing photos of me from 20 years ago and it’s depressing,” he added. “But what can you do?”
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He admitted he would often be drunk whilst filming for the series, saying: "I remember looking at the Wall and thinking: ‘I’ve got to chase this guy up it and I’m bleeding drunk'.”
The star said he was almost fired by one of the show's producers but the crew kept him on board.
The sportsman was born in Kent but now lives in the West Midlands and has a number of hobbies.
He enjoys watercolour painting and spends time visiting schools and youth clubs, promoting fun ways of keeping fit.
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In 2000, he reminisced over his Gladiator days when he joined a special UK international team to compete against South Africa in the Gladiators Springbok Challenge.
This was a huge achievement for the star, who had been hospitalised with pneumonia in both lungs the year before.
Speaking to The Sun at the time he said: "I'm only half a Gladiator now. It's been touch and go.
"I don't feel like I'm kicking the bucket at the minute, but it will only take another cold or cough and I'm in trouble."
The star is on Instagram and he wowed his followers with a photo of his toned body when he was 58 years old.
Posing only in underwear standing in front of the mirror, he showed off his chiseled abs.
"Last year too skinny but I'm 58 lol" he wrote, but fans flocked to the comments to say he looked "fantastic".
In the past couple of years he has appeared at various conventions and Comic Con events as his Gladiators character.
Gladiators will air on the BBC later this year.
