Diane Youdale has spoken about her love affair with fellow Gladiators star James Crossley, who she met when he was a teenager.
The 51-year-old was popular as Gladiator Jet and when she was 21, she met 19 year old James, who had joined the iconic ITV show as Hunter.
Diane was one of the best loved Gladiators on the show which dominated the Saturday night schedules at the beginning of the 90s.
She was one of the original Gladiators and stayed with the show until its fourth series.
When James joined in the second series, he and Diane soon embarked on a year long love affair but they went their separate ways when Diane decided to quit the hit show.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Diane said: "James and I were together for a year and it was after I left that we kind of split up."
After their relationship came to an end, James later embarked on high profile coupling with Gladiators host Ulrika Jonsson.
Diane indicated that while she felt that being two years older than James made her a "cougar", his relationship with Ulrika was in a different category altogether.
She continued: "I think he was 19 and I was like 21. I mean I'm being a cougar at 21 but we remained good friends ever since and it was after I'd left the show that I think he got together with Ulrika."
Diane was full of praise for Ulrika though and said: "I have to admit, I think that Ulrika is one of the funniest women I've ever met.
"She is super bright, super self-evasive. Brave I think, too.
"She just sort of has this Swedish courage thing going on."
While Ulrika and James enjoyed a romance in 1996 and while it didn't last that long, the 54-year-old TV host showed she still has some affection for him, when he appeared on reality show The Circle.
She posted a heartwarming message to her former beau in April, as he was set to embark on his time on the Channel 4 experimental show.
Diane has managed to prolong her career on television after leaving Gladiators, with her highest profile role since leaving the ITV show being the regular psychotherapist on Big Brother's Bit On The Side, before the curtain came down on the reality show.
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