Gladiators star Saracen revealed he auditioned for the hit ITV show alongside his then-girlfriend Chrissie Mullings – but unfortunately she wasn’t chosen for the role.
Michael Lewis – better known to the world as the one and only Saracen, became a Gladiator in 1992 after he auditioned and successfully passed a round of gruelling fitness tests.
The now 58-year-old was one of the few Gladiators who starred in every season until the show ended in 2000.
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Along the way he picked up the nickname, ‘The King of Hang Tough’ while also cementing himself as one of the most iconic and beloved members of the series.
In an exclusive chat with Daily Star, the former bodybuilder revealed his then-girlfriend auditioned with him, but later found herself on the show in a different way.
He explained: “Yeah we auditioned together and I got it but she didn’t. Unfortunately she wasn’t what they were looking for as a gladiator but she was what they were looking for as a contender, so she actually appeared on the show as a contender instead.”
(Image: ITV)
Applicants who wanted to take part in the show had to complete a series of rigorous fitness tests before being selected and Chrissie, who was also a bodybuilder at the time, was successful and competed in the show’s first season.
Saracen revealed that it didn’t cause any issues between the pair, saying: “She’s actually my wife now but no there was no tension between us at all, nothing like that.”
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Recalling the gruelling fitness test he had to endure, he said: “We were sent to an army training centre where we were put through loads of physical tests like climbing ropes, beam jumps, upper body tests, loads of really physical stuff.
Saracen managed to climb the rope three times, all without using his legs, which ended up being faster than some people climbed up and coming down the rope only once.
“Then at the end of the day, you had to do an entire army assault course. So when you’re doing that all in one day, it’s a lot but thankfully I got the call at the end of it.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
