Iconic Gladiators star Michael Wilson, better known as Cobra, has shared some secrets about the tense showdowns between the competing stars on the show.
Cobra revealed that the travelator course was deliberately slowed down or sped up depending on who producers wanted to win the challenge.
He said to The Sun: “There’s a bloke sitting there. He can slow it down, because it’s always dramatic when it’s a close one right at the end.
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“If someone’s struggling it’s easy to take the brake off so it goes faster suddenly and the guy they like is going to go up there.”
Michael also said that he became a heavy drinker while starring on the show as he tried to keep up with his co-star Jefferson King, aka Shadow – who famously used to drink six pints of Guinness before filming.
Not only that, the former TV star also revealed that cast and crew members would regularly get together for “orgies” at the Holiday inn near the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham after filming.
Michael joked that he never got invited to participate, and also said that it wasn’t uncommon for people to get into blazing rows at the same hotel the romps took place.
Jefferson King was let go from the show after his drug taking became a big problem, with Michael saying: “I’d seen him do bits and pieces of cocaine but he kept it really secret. You would do, wouldn’t you?”
Cobra star Michael himself has suffered from health problems since the show.
He nearly died in 2019 after coming down with pneumonia, and also ruptured his bicep and shoulder, leading to him ruling out returning to the hit show, which is being rebooted by the BBC.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
