Gladiators star Giant has spoken about using steroids during his bodybuilding career and says he does not ‘advocate the use’ of them.
Giant, 37, whose real name is Jamie Christian-Johal, reportedly admitted to taking steroids in resurfaced YouTube videos after joining the line-up of the newly rebooted game show.
The budding TV star is said to have boasted about his ‘phenomenal gains’ in online videos, with one said to be titled ‘Take this and you will get big’.
However, in a statement given to MailOnline, Jamie said he has been off performance enhancing drugs for over a year.
He said: ‘I have always been open and transparent about my use of steroids whilst I was a professional bodybuilder.
‘During that time, I spoke openly about the legal use of performance enhancements as a competitive bodybuilder and how to safely administer them.
‘I stopped competing as a bodybuilder in October 2022 and responsibly came off steroids.
‘I am no longer a professional bodybuilder and am no longer taking steroids and do not advocate the use of them.’
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘The Gladiators production team were robust with their no drugs policy and drug testing was part of the process which all Gladiators agreed to and complied with. The results showed that they were not taking performance enhancing drugs.’
Anabolic steroids are classified as class C drugs, meaning they are prescription-only, but they are readily available illegally online or via social media.
An insider claimed that the situation was a ‘nightmare’ for the BBC, after the hugely successful reboot attracted a whopping 6.4million viewers.
A source told The Sun: ‘This is a nightmare for the BBC, it’s a family show and they’ve somehow not spotted this material from its biggest star.’
In one YouTube video, Jamie reportedly declared that he ‘didn’t start taking steroids until I was 24 years old’.
It was previously reported that BBC bosses overseeing the reboot are hell-bent on keeping the newly-rebooted series ‘clean as a whistle’.
After the original Gladiators show was embroiled in scandals and drug abuse, it was claimed that the new stars will have to undergo regular tests.
Some stars from the original 1990s ITV game show were involved in a number of steroid controversies.
Former star Warren Furman, who was better known as Ace, previously admitted he dabbled in banned steroids in a bid to bulk up and that he was warned by bosses he would be sacked if he didn’t stop.
Born in London, Shadow became addicted to crack cocaine in his teens. Joining the Gladiators in 1992, Jefferson King, 62, was sacked in 1995 after a drugs test.
Hawk, whose real name is Aleks Georgijev, also confessed to taking the drug, while Cobra (Michael Wilson) admitted he was often drunk when he battled on the show.
Gladiators returned to British screens last week, 24 years after the hit 1990s show’s last series.
The popular game show, which was originally broadcast on ITV from 1992 to 2000, sees contestants battle highly trained athletes called ‘gladiators’ in gruelling physical challenges.
And people came out in force to watch the BBC reboot, with its debut episode attracting a whopping 6.4million viewers.
Standing at 6ft 5inches, Jamie made history by becoming one of the all-time tallest bodybuilders.
He currently weighs 20st and eats around 4,500 calories a day in order to maintain his physique.
He told MailOnline about his transformation: ‘Being this tall when I was 14 years old and weighed 13stone, it’s a very different look. I was a tall, skinny, gangly teenager. I even had the nickname Lamppost at school.
‘Now I’m 6ft5 and 20stone 5lbs… To maintain my physique currently, I am eating around 4,500 calories per day but when I was trying to get as big as possible, I was eating up to 10,000 calories a day… 70,000 calories a week is not a cheap food bill.
‘I would eat up to seven meals a day and they would be, if you imagined the biggest Sunday dinner you could have at your parents’ house, that would be every meal.
‘Each meal would be a 1000-1500 calorie meal… it is a lot of food and digestion plus some sleeping as well because eating all of that makes you sleepy. I would eat oats, chicken, steak, all good foods.’
The father-of-two says alongside his vigorous diet, he completes 10 hours of weight training every week, targeting a different muscle group each session.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
