A former Gladiators TV star has been jailed for his part in plotting to blackmail a drug-user if he didn't pay off his £1,000 debt.
Michael Jefferson King, who's better known as Shadow from the hit 90s TV show Gladiators, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison on 27th August 2021 after pleading guilty to two counts of blackmail, according to The Mirror.
King, 60, admitted to threatening to hammer the said drug-user's legs and cut off his fingers when he tried to escape from being imprisoned in a flat and gagged and tortured.
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Three other men were also convicted for their involvement.
What is Gladiators and when was it televised?
For those of us who are a little bit young to remember this, Gladiators was a popular reality game show on ITV, which was originally launched in 1992 until 2000 and then relaunched in 2008 for ten seasons.
The show casts exceptionally fit and strong men and women to compete in an intense obstacle course. Think of it as the predecessor to Ninja Warrior UK.
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Each contestant took on an alter ego on the show and was given a stage name like Wolf (Michael Van Wijk), Jet (Diane Youdale) and Saracen (Mike Lewis) - and Shadow was Michael Jefferson King's.
What happened to Shadow from Gladiators?
King starred in the hit series and was one of the fan-favourites, until he was axed from the show in 1995 due to a steroid scandal.
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King has had problems with drug addiction over the years and since leaving the show, he had several stints in prison.
In recent years, King had reportedly turned his life around and was working at a drug rehabilitation centre.
In March 2020, King played a part in blackmailing and imprisoning a Mr Aaron Ali, who was trapped in a flat in Acton, west London and tortured for hours for not clearing his drug debts with the four men.
King and three others were sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on 27th August 2021.
Featured Image Credit: gladiatorstv.com/PATopics: UK News, ITV, Film & TV