Gladiators’ Hunter reveals brutal injury in final ever show and says he was ‘willing to die’ in the arena
GLADIATORS legend Hunter told the show’s physio that the only way he was leaving the arena was as a corpse after suffering a brutal injury.
In the final episode of the original 90s TV phenomenon, Hunter – real name James Crossley – went head to head with his fellow Gladiators.
But disaster struck in the very first event and he dislocated his shoulder.
When it was suggested he give up the opportunity to become the Ultimate Gladiator, Hunter had a strong message.
Speaking to Betway, the 50-year-old said: “They wanted to pull me from the show, which was the last show for the title of Ultimate Gladiator. But I said to the physio, ‘you’ll take me off here as a corpse, I’m not leaving the stage.’ At the time, I was so competitive and so in it, I would have happily lost my arm to be on that show. That was my mentality.
“Looking back, the injuries were horrendous. But when you’re in it, you’re competitive and you’re 19 years old, your sole purpose is to win the Duel. I didn’t even think about it and I threw myself into everything.”
Bumps, bruises and much worse quickly became part and parcel of the show due to the physicality of the games and the intense workload, especially when the show began filming multiple episodes in a day.
“The injuries were problematic,” said Hunter. “There were a lot of injuries during the show, but it’s a contact sport, a bit like American football.
“The problem with Gladiators is that everything is so intense. If you look at a game like Powerball, which is 60 seconds, you might do 15 to 20 rugby tackles in 60 seconds, which is what you might do in a 90 minute rugby game. Even rugby players thought it was full on. There’s so much impact on the body in a very short period of time.”
Despite the painful moments, Hunter relished his role as a muscular telly titan.
“It was a lifetime ago, but it was by far the best years of my life,” he admits. “Being competitive and being someone that loved to be around other competitive people, being a bodybuilder, it was the perfect job for me. Plus, the doors that opened around you for the rest of the year were amazing. I gave it my absolute all.”
It wasn’t plain-sailing for Hunter, who was just 19 when he started on the programme.
Though he was strong and muscular, he was far from athletic, at least initially.
But a critical comment from a producer provided him with the fuel he needed to become the best of the best.
He said: “Not being that athletic at the time, I massively struggled. I remember the producer came up to me in that first year and said, ‘Hunter, you’re awful.’ That was a bit of a Rocky moment for me because I went on to train twice a day for six years.
“That’s how I became the ultimate Gladiator in the end. I think I peaked at two or three years in. My goal was to be good at everything. Some Gladiators were happy to be good at the Duel or one or two events, but I wanted to be good at everything.”