Gladiators' Jet recalls feeling 'body conscious' and scene she refused to film

16 January 2024 , 17:50

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Gladiators' Jet recalls feeling 'body conscious' and scene she refused to film

Diane Youdale-Gilbert has spoken about her experience on the original series of Gladiators, with her sharing that she'd been "body conscious" whilst working on the show.

The former 'gladiator', now 53, was best known by her stage name Jet. She appeared in four series of the ITV show from 1992 to 1995, and returned as a backstage reporter for Sky's revival in 2008. She has yet to appear on the BBC reboot.

Amid the launch of the reboot, Diane spoke about her time on the show whilst a guest on BBC Radio 4 programme Woman's Hour recently. During her appearance, she was asked about her experience by host Emma Barnett, 38.

Diane Youdale-Gilbert was among the cast of the original Gladiators series, with her known as Jet (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The former participant, pictured last year, has spoken about her experience amid the show's reboot (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Diane said: "I was so nervous all the time. I mean people say 'oh flicking her hair around [and] smiling and doing the flips'. It was pure anxiety. I didn't want to stand still because I was afraid the cameras would just focus in on my lumpy, bumpy bits."

She continued: "In the days coming out of the late 80s, into the early 90s, I was always a bit body-conscious back then. I think now we just embrace all female shapes and sizes and builds and functionality. So I just kept moving."

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Giving examples of her efforts, she recalled: "So I'd free cartwheel if the camera was on me. Flick my hair, do a spin, a pirouette, you name it. Leg lifts, the lot." Diane subsequently teased: "I felt like Louie Spence. Just flick, flick, flick."

She recalled her time on Gladiators recently whilst on BBC Radio 4 show Woman's Hour (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Diane suggested that she was 'so nervous all the time' when she first worked on the show (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

BBC Radio host Emma went on to note that Diane was described as a "pin-up girl" at the time of Gladiators and that "it was very sexualised". The guest responded by saying that she "felt quite good" about the costumes though.

Diane commented in response: "I think because we were functional athletes, I felt quite good about the identity of being in two tiny bits of lycra and being a functionally fit and very good, I'd like to say, athlete in the arena because not everybody takes to the arena.The events are very extreme."

She continued by telling Emma that she once felt "uncomfortable" about a proposed scene. Diane said: "The only one bit I felt a bit uncomfortable about was when ... [back] then the contenders would win a jeep each, a big car, which was sort of situated at the end of the arena.

"And they wanted to do a swooping kind of grab shot, or whatever they call it, of the girls sort of semi-draped over this jeep without our tracksuits on and I said 'absolutely not'. That's the only time I felt it was just cheese among cheese 1970s girls on cars ... I said 'no we're athletes, we're gladiators. Do not do that to us'."

Joel Leaver