Former Gladiators presenter John Fashanu has given an open and honest verdict on his friendship with Ulrika Jonsson after the pair spent five years together on the BBC sports competition show.
After Fashanu left in 1997, Jonsson continued presenting the show until 2000 where it was eventually pulled off air.
The high-intensity sports game show came with a lot of competition but also friendships between Fashanu, Jonsson and the Gladiators.
At the beginning of the year, the BBC rebooted the programme which came with a lot of divided opinion – including Bradley and Barney Walsh being chosen as presenters.
Fashanu recently spoke with GB News on behalf of luckyblock.com and admitted that he hasn’t spoken to Jonsson since leaving the show.
“I lost contact with Ulrika," Fashanu said. "Ulrika was a wonderful gentle young lady and I think that she was going through a rough time in her life after the Gladiators. I think that she has now got on with her life.
Fashanu said he lost contact with Jonsson after her left the show
BBC
“The good thing is, trying to actually contact some of the Gladiators is quite easy, we have all their information and the headquarters in London so it is quite easy to make some telephone calls.
“But there is no point in making telephone calls if you have nothing to say, if you ring up to say ‘hello’ then that is a waste of time.”
Fashanu – who’s “Awooga” catchphrase would often echo around the stadium – noted how much he loved the show but claimed the reboot had gone “woke”.
“This is not gladiators! The dress which everybody wore was agreed that everyone would wear the same thing, that was part of the fun of the show," he told us.
Ulrika slammed the reboot for not having cheerleaders
ITV
“That was why at one stage we were getting 18 million viewers globally, that is crazy! So I do think that is a small problem!
“I think that it is not quite the same as what it was before, but then of course, if it is not going to change in our time then it must be a problem.”
When the trailer for the first episode of the reboot was released, Jonsson had similar thoughts as she touched on how disappointed she was to no longer see any cheerleaders at the side of the arena.
“Where are the cheerleaders? I think the public will be as perplexed as me about their disappearance,” she wrote in her The Sun column at the time.
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John Fashanu gave his verdict on his relationship with Ulrika Jonsson
BBC
“I don’t know if this is some kind of woke rubbish but it’s disappointing. Cheerleaders add another dimension to the programme and make it feel more layered.
“The cheerleaders also serve the purpose of entertaining the audience in the arena, too. They always had cheeky routines which put a big smile on people’s faces.”