Gladiators star Jet's life now from TV reunion with ex Hunter to near fatal accident

Gladiator star, Jet, seems to have lived three lives as fans recall her dramatic leave of the show, drastic career change and marriage to wife Zoe after her 90s TV fame

Gladiator star, Jet, was hugely well known in the 90s for her appearance on the popular gameshow – but she later vanished from our screens.

However, Jet, who's real name is Diane Youdale, made a recent TV comeback – and was even reunited with her former flame. In the nineties, Diane achieved fame for her role as Jet in ITV's biggest gameshow. She continued to feature in headlines for her two-year relationship with co-star Hunter (James Crossley) however admitted to never being able to move past their age gap.

Diane had previously shared how she had felt like a "cougar at 21" when Hunter was 19 at the time of them dating.

Remaining friends despite their split, the pair recently reunited on our screens – a far cry away from the fun and sporty TV show based on ancient Rome's colosseums. Jet and Hunter began the new year on an episode of Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, joining hosts Margie Cooper and Ishy Khan in Lancashire in search of quirky antique bargains.

The hour-long wholesome and fun episode saw the exes travel to Eccleston, St Helens, where Diane discovered a rare sculptural piece. The group later ventured to Longridge, outside of Preston, where James made a purchase of an item that reminded him of his beloved dog. The four also visited Darwen, Blackburn to learn about a local-legend strongman – which the former Gladiators could not resist joining in on.

Career

Diane's success as a Gladiator met a sudden end as she cracked her neck in 1996 in a near-fatal accident involving a pyramid formation - which was immediately banned after. Diane has spoken about the shocked-silent audience, how she knew what "that snap" meant and thinking "have I broken my neck?" after landing "pencil-point down".

The star told the Metro that the contender involved "was a bit bigger, stronger and faster than me" and that she remembered pushing off the pyramid "with her" in un-aired scenes. She said: "They [the producers] 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". Doctors later confirmed her spinal cord was compressed and that she was fortunate to have survived.

Making the choice to leave the show seemed easy for the ex-fighter as she thought the accident was "too close for comfort." Diane had also shared that only after leaving the show, did ex James "get together with Ulrika". However, Jet and Hunter are on good terms and she supported her ex on social media in 2021 when James appeared on the Netflix show The Circle.

She told the Mirror in 2023 how the accident sparked a major career change: "I sat there recovering at home, I'd compressed my cervical vertebrae had it been worse, it would have been a neck break. I thought 'I've had a warning', the pyramid is a tough, tough game – it's basically vertical rugby at speed! It's going to be good tough. It makes good camera play.

"I just thought, it's time, I'd done the first four and a half years, I can save some pennies and go to university and do what I always wanted to do since I was a kid – it worked well for me."

As a psychotherapist and counsellor, Diane specialises in aiding young people facing eating disorders - which she can relate to because of her own experience with bulimia, having suffered with the disorder from age 14-19. The now-therapist told the Daily Post that she understands feeling "unhappy or uncomfortable with your own body" and that the period was "a difficult time on a personal level" as she had left my home at 16 to train as a choreographer and dancer in London.

"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."

She added: "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."

Marriage

Diane found love in a supermarket in 2021 after her now-wife approached her and said she was 'the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen'. And in 2023 she declared she could "finally be herself" as she announced she had wed the love of her live, Zoe Gilbert.The couple held a private wedding of only six members, where she and wife Zoe opted for an unconventional, relaxed style; a "boho top and trousers" for herself and "brogues and chinos" for Zoe.

The couple shared that only nine people "on the planet" knew of the their marital plans and even chose the relaxed setting of Northumbria as their honeymoon destination. The Jet star said in 2023: "We're married! We kept it very, very quiet. Literally nine people on the planet knew.

"When you're in the public eye..things just run away with you. I'm in my 50s now and we're both very private people, so we thought 'You know, let's just keep this really quiet.' Not even our nearest and dearest knew because we wanted to keep it really tiny."