A former Gladiators star is seriously ill in hospital with pneumonia after ‘destroying’ his body with decades of extreme workouts.
Michael Willson, who was known as Cobra on the show during the 1990s, told the Sun it was ‘touch and go’.
The former bodybuilder, 55, is suffering from a number of health problems including severe acute pancreatitis and pleurisy, a condition which causes sharp chest pains.
He also needs two new hips and struggles to move his right arm thanks to a rupture in his shoulder.
Gladiators star Cobra, whose real name is Michael Willson, has been in hospital for three weeks with pneumonia
He also needs two new hips and struggles to move his right arm thanks to a rupture in his shoulder. He is pictured here in April1995
Mr Willson told the Sun: ‘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.’
He added: ‘I pushed the limit and listened to silly Arnold Schwarzenegger saying you’ve got to take more pain than your competitors.
‘But pain is your body saying “oi, pack it in”. You need to pull back, not push through. But for 20-plus years I was: push, push, push.’
So far Mr Willson has been in the hospital in Kent for three weeks, having been hospitalised before Christmas as well after his pancreas swelled up.
He also claimed that his co-stars including James Crossley, who was known as Hunter, are far healthier because they didn’t ‘self-inflict’ pain by carrying on.
Mr Willson 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’
Gladiators, which ran from 1992 until 2000, regularly pulled in more than 12million viewers
Mr Willson added: ‘I pushed the limit and listened to silly Arnold Schwarzenegger saying you’ve got to take more pain than your competitors’
Mr Willson said that he once fractured his hip on the ITV show but carried on regardless – without telling the show’s producers.
Mr Willson said that he once fractured his hip on the ITV show but carried on regardless
He also powered through a number of spinal injuries.
Gladiators, which ran from 1992 until 2000, regularly pulled in more than 12million viewers.
Mr Willson was known for his high-kicks and splits on the widely popular show.
In October last year, some of the original cast – Ace, Panther, Cobra, Jet, Hunter and Scorpio – reunited at a convention.
The group posed together at a TV, Film, Comic and Memorabilia Convention called Stoke CON Trent in Staffordshire.
Mr Willson slipped into his old costume and revealed his incredible guns for the cameras.
The former bodybuilder, right, is suffering from a number of health problems including severe acute pancreatitis and pleurisy, a condition which causes sharp chest pains
Now living in the West Midlands, Michael spends his time making watercolour paintings
Mr Willson was known for his high-kicks and splits on the widely popular show
Mr Willson was known for his high-kicks and splits on the popular ITV show
A painter, a jailed gym owner and a drug addict: As the stars of Gladiators reunite to mark the show’s 25th anniversary, we reveal what happened when they hung up their Lycra
Gladiators became one of the biggest TV shows of the Nineties.
Every Saturday night, millions of viewers watched as muscle-bound rivals toppled each other off podiums, faced off against brave contestants and wrestled each other to the ground in a bid to be crowned the series’ champion.
Yesterday fans of the ITV show, which aired between 1992 and 2000, were delighted when some of its best-known stars, including Warren ‘Ace’ Furman, Helen ‘Panther’ O’Reilly, James ‘Hunter’ Crossley and Diane ‘Jet’ Youdale, reunited on This Morning to mark 25 years since the show first aired.
They were joined by referee John Anderson, who along with host Ulrika Jonsson, became a fan favourite in his own right.
While the former Gladiators all showcased their youthful looks and enviably toned figures, time has not been so kind to all their former castmates.
From stints in rehab to time in jail, FEMAIL investigates what happened to the TV stars once they hung up their Lycra…
Ace: Warren Furman, 45
Name: Warren Furman
Age: 45
Occupation: Having turned his back on showbusiness, Warren found God and now runs a Gospel choir in York, where he lives with his wife and two kids.
Speaking on This Morning yesterday, he said: ‘I used to worship myself, I thought I was fantastic. I have now turned to God’s grace. I am a Gladiator of the gospel.
‘You’ll never know God until you change your direction and so I realised this. It was great, we had loads of money and women, but I realised I had to change’.
Gladiator history: Four years after the show began in 1996, the blond hunk beat 60 other hopefuls for a place on Gladiators, where he stayed on the series until its end in 2000. He returned for the revival in 2008
Fun facts: Warren was engaged to Katie Price in the late Nineties, during which time they enjoyed a particularly lavish lifestyle. He previously said: ‘We travelled the world first class, went for expensive dinners, had big houses and fancy cars’, yet things later broke off acrimoniously.
Amazon: Sharron Davies MBE, 54
Heading up: Prior to heading on to the show, Sharron was a swimmer for Great Britain in the Olympics and European championships
Name: Sharron Davies aka Amazon
Age: 54
Occupation: Prior to heading on to the show, Sharron was a swimmer for Great Britain in the Olympics and European championships. She also competed for England in the Commonwealth Games. She has produced various fitness videos and served as a patron of charities for disabled children
Gladiator history: Sharron joined the show in 1995 yet a knee injury forced her to withdraw from the show in 1996. She famously complained of the health and safety aspects of the show
Fun fact: The blonde beauty enjoyed a stint on Dancing On Ice in 2011. The mother-of-three has remained in the spotlight, commentating on sporting events, presenting on the now-defunct Channel 4 show The Big Breakfast
Jet: Diane Youdale, 47
Sizzling: Many men will remember Jet being one of the most sought after stars of the show
Crowd pleaser: She was known for her trademark hair flick on the show and didn’t disappoint, as she stormed onto the set of This Morning high-kicking and whipping her mane
Name: Diane Youdale
Age: 47
Occupation: Diane started out with a career in gymnastics and dance, before rising to stardom on Gladiators, but was later forced to take up presenting and acting after injuring herself during the show’s live event held at Wembley Arena in 1996.
She then went on to become a PE teaching assistant, before training as a pscyhotherapist.
Fun facts: With 20 years in psychology behind her, Diane has landed herself a regular slot on Big Brother’s Bit On The Side and is seen analysing the housemates – she has appeared on 33 episodes of the show.
The Rhino: Mark Smith, 48
On the up: Since appearing on Gladiators, Mark has gone on to bag several acting roles, including appearances on EastEnders, The Bill and Robin Hood
Love affair: Ulrika had also enjoyed a brief fling with gladiator Mark Smith
Name: Mark Smith
Age: 48
Occupation: Since appearing on Gladiators, Mark has gone on to bag several acting roles, including appearances on EastEnders, The Bill and Robin Hood. He then set his sights on Hollywood and has featured on high-profile films including Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Argo, which was directed by Ben Affleck and Frozen Ground, starring Nicholas Cage.
Gladiator history: Mark starred on the show from 1995 until its finale in 2000.
Fun facts: Rhino was deemed the joker of the Gladiator pack and would have the live audience in fits of giggles with his robotic dancing and body popping moves. Mark too had enjoyed a fling with show host Ulrika.
Panther: Helen O’Reilly, 56
Beauty: Helen has a number of bodybuilding accolades to her name including Miss Central Britain, Miss Europe, Miss Great Britain, Miss Russia and Miss Universe
Name: Helen O’Reilly aka Panther
Age: 56
On Gladiators: ‘It was great, it inspired so many people into sport, to be able to be strong and feminine at the same time. We still get messages today, 25 years later, of people still being inspired to go to the gym.’
Occupation: Helen is a champion bodybuilder and became one of Britain’s best, with a number of accolades to her name including Miss Central Britain, Miss Europe, Miss Great Britain, Miss Russia and Miss Universe.
Fun facts: She now has her own gym in Uxbridge, London, where she preps other girls and travels all across the globe judging bikini girls, fitness girls and men’s physique and body building.