Lighting from the original Gladiators looks just as striking two decades after the show came out.
Lightning, whose real name is Kim Betts, has perused a successful career and become an award-winning bodybuilder. The show finished at 2000, but the reboot has seen a new cohort of ripped contenders.
Kim is still working hard, however, with several awards and 24,000 dedicated Instagram followers. She often updates her fans on her body building competitions, as well as her relationship with husband Frank Betts.
READ MORE: Gladiators star is now so famous she gets asked for selfies in the toilet
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Her accolades include winning IBFA’s Mr and Miss Universe alongside her bodybuilder husband Frank in 2020, along with the Miss Universe Over 40s award the same year. The now 54-year-old has become a director of 2B Lightning Fit Ltd which aids people on their fitness journeys with the help of private training sessions and meal plans alongside bodybuilding techniques for those looking to progress down that route.
(Image: frankbetts22)
Adding to that, the dedicated mother is now a grandmother, with her daughter giving birth in 2023. Her child did not follow in her body building footsteps, but that hasn’t stopped Kim.
Betts rose to fame after first appearing on the hit Saturday night show in 1992 and she remains the only female gladiator to have starred in all its series. However, she is not set to appear in the reboot, much to fans’ disappointment.
Before finding fame, she had trained as a gymnast. Between the age of 10 and 16, she competed across the country and won 32 medals. She then took up weight training and won multiple awards during this time.
When Gladiators aired, Betts, whose usual attire was a leotard and sometimes sports bra and pants, was known as one of the toughest and most determined of the Gladiators. She was undefeated in the UK Arena and was only ever beaten once, during the first Ashes series in Australia.
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Betts even gave birth to a baby boy, Lexus, just three weeks before competing in the Gladiators arena for the 1999 series.
During an appearance on ITV’s This Morning on Tuesday, the mum of two told viewers she continued training up until she gave birth and she also revealed the moment she heard the show would be making a comeback.
Speaking on the show, she added: “To be honest, everyone was asking me are you coming back, are you coming back, are you doing this and that and the other, what do you know and I said well to be honest I literally just found out on the radio and that’s all I know.
“I really don’t know more than anybody else so it really is like an X-file at the moment no one really knows whatever they’re planning is quite secretive.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
