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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Lucy Needham

What the original Gladiators look like now as TV legends reunite on GMB

Fans of 90s Saturday TV were amazed by the reappearance of the Gladiator stars on Good Morning Britain this week.

The original gang held a mini reunion some twenty years after the show last aired, some even wearing their original costumes.

Viewers will remember Hunter, Cobra, Panther, Jet and Lightning from the ITV show that became an instant fan favourite.

For his appearance on Thursday's GMB, Cobra - aka Michael Willson - slipped back into his lycra to help viewers place him with his new grey hair.

Kim Betts ( Lightning) was joined by Michael Willson (Cobra) (Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
Michael dug out his old lycra for the interview (Ken McKay/ITV/REX)

While he looked to have maintained his buff bod, earlier this year Michael was diagnosed with pneumonia which he later blamed on 'intense workouts' destroying his immune system.

He was joined in the studio by Panther, otherwise known as Helen O'Reilly, 58.

Michael as Cobra (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Helen O'Reilly (aka Panther) looked quite different (Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
Kim sported a thick head of curls in the 90s (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Helen has ditched her tumbling brunette curls in favour of a sleek blonde hairdo.

Asked if she'd consider taking part in a re-run of the show, Helen said: "There is a demand for it. But I am 58, I don't know if I am a bit past it."

Pointing to her co-star Michael (Cobra) she joked: "He's got a walking stick and two new hips!"

James Crossley said the cast still call themselves by their old names (Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
James was best known as Hunter (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Hunter, aka 46-year-old James Crossley, said he's still referred to by his warrior nickname.

"A lot of male Gladiators were called Mike. So if you said 'Mike', everybody turned around.

"Everyone used to think that we were from the planet Glad. So when kids would come around it would be like 'Cobra! Lightning!' and the kids would be like: 'Wow!'"

Kim Betts - aka Lightning - was still recognisable with her long blonde hair (Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
(ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

He was joined by Kim Betts - better known as blonde bombshell Lighting - who said the gang still call each other by their Gladiator names.

"Even when I message them it’s like: 'Hey Jet, Cobra, Hunter…' I never call them their own name," she joked.

Diane Youdale played Jet on the show (Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
Jet was a favourite among fans of the ITV show (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Diane Youdale - who played Jet - was also in the studio.

Diane had been forced to leave the show in its prime after sustaining a nasty neck injury.

At its peak action-packed Gladiators was a staple of Saturday night TV and would regularly draw in up to 14 million viewers.

Susanna Reid appeared mesmerised by Cobra's pecks (Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
james Crossley ( Hunter), Helen O'Reilly (Panther), Diane Youdale ( Jet), Michael Willson ( Cobra), Kim Betts ( Lightning) posed for a snap with hosts Ben Shephard, Susanna Reid and Richard Arnold (Ken McKay/ITV/REX)

The game show, an adaptation of the American format, ran on ITV from October 1992 to January 2000.

The programme saw four contestants - two male and two female -compete in a series of physical events against the show's "Gladiators".

The contestants would aim to secure a place in the grand final and be crowned champion for their respective series.

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