BBC ‘faces nightmare’ after Gladiators star Giant ‘admits to taking dangerous steroids’ in past

ok.co.uk:

Gladiators star Giant has admitted to taking steroids in the past which is said to be a "nightmare" for the BBC. Jamie Christian-Johal, who goes by the name of his alter ego Giant due to his 6'5" inch build and 287lbs weight, is one of the new generation of stars taking part in the reboot of the fan-favourite show Gladiators which kicked off on Saturday (13 January).The original series, which launched back in 1992 and ran for eight years on ITV until 2000, was hit with alleged drug scandals when Jefferson King, also known as Shadow, was said to have tested positive for cocaine and steroids for seven months before being axed, according to his co-star Cobra.

The Gladiators taking part in the revived BBC series are said to be undergoing routine drug tests, but Giant, who is arguably the biggest star on the series, has admitted to using them in the past.

In a statement sent to OK! Giant 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 body builder and am no longer taking steroids and do not advocate the use of them." An insider reportedly 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," the source added, in reference to alleged videos that saw Giant speaking about building muscle.