Gladiators legend Hunter now looks completely different from his stint on the iconic 90s series as he swapped the lycra for yoga.
Hunter became one of the nation’s famous faces with his huge biceps and luscious curly blonde locks.
The bodybuilder, real name James Crossley, wowed viewers with his impressive physique and even dated host Ulrika Jonsson.
Yet now, James has decided to ditch the skin-tight bodysuits for a free flowing lifestyle as a yoga instructor.
He has turned his back on showbiz to adopt a healthy lifestyle and even works as a gong bath practitioner.
Hunter’s famous locks are long gone and so has his clean shaven appearance.
He now rocks a clean shaven head with a salt and pepper beard.
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ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
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Instagram/mrjamescrossley)
James makes appearances on social media where he leads yoga classes and shows off his gong bath techniques.
According to his bio at the studio where works, the strongman decided to change careers after a string of injuries.
He then discovered his love of healing and alternative medicine when he went on a yoga retreat to Bali.
James hasn’t lost his impressive muscles though, as he continues to bodybuild and make appearances with his Gladiator co-stars.
Mum-of-four Ulrika has opened up about her on-set romance with show star Hunter.
The Gladiators co-stars enjoyed a brief relationship in 1996 as they both worked alongside each other on the iconic show.
“Obviously I dated Hunter for about a year and a half and away from the show he was amazing and the sweetest, sweetest man,” Ulrika said of her former flame.
“He was only 22 when I think when I got together with him. Poor boy.”
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Instagram/mrjamescrossley)
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Instagram/mrjamescrossley)
James returned to screens in 2021 as he took on a new alter-ego to appear on reality TV show, The Circle.
He competed on the Channel 4 show as fictional NHS nurse ‘Gemma’ in a bid to win the cash prize.
However, his attempt to catfish his housemates failed and the former Gladiators star was eliminated from the series.
Ulrika acknowledged her former lover’s TV comeback – sharing a number of cute social media posts dedicated to her one-time co-star.
“It’s too late at night for me to watch but he can be cute,” the star captioned a close up shot of James appearing on The Circle.
Ulrika presented the sports entertainment game show alongside former footballer John Fashanu upon its launch in the UK in 1992.
The programme’s format saw four contestants, two male and two female, compete in a series of physical events against the show’s Gladiators, eventually competing in one final event, with contestants aiming to secure a place in the grand final.
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