Gladiators star Hunter, real name James Crossley, has revealed he was forced to sign on the dole after spending all the money he earned from the hit TV show. The 52-year-old bodybuilder appeared on the original series from 1993 to 2000, more than two decades before its revival on the BBC.
Crossley was just 19 when he landed the role and treated himself to a luxury holiday to Los Angeles after filming. However, upon returning to the UK, he realised he had spent everything before the show had even aired. Speaking on the Remember Me? podcast, he said: '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, Crossley, who briefly dated Gladiators presenter Ulrika Jonsson, went on to appear in theatre tours, release a fitness DVD, and now works as a musician and in soundbathing. In 2024, he opened the London Handpan Academy.
Ulrika Jonsson has previously spoken about their on-set romance, describing him as 'the sweetest, sweetest man'. Crossley also returned to screens in 2021 on The Circle, where he competed as a fictional NHS nurse named 'Gemma', but was eliminated.
