Gladiators legend Jet splits from wife after 18 months of marriage as pal shares real reason for break-up
Gladiators star Jet has reportedly split from her wife Zoe Gilbert after just 18 months of marriage.
The 54-year-old television personality, whose real name is Diane Youdale, met Zoe, 49, in a Tesco car park when Zoe spotted her doing her shopping and approached to introduce herself.
Their romance quickly blossomed, leading to marriage in July 2023 following a whirlwind four-month courtship.
The relationship marked Jet’s first public romance with a woman, having come out shortly before they committed to each other.
The couple had previously appeared together on ITV’s Lorraine in August 2023, where they shared details of their unexpected love story and spontaneous kitchen proposal over a glass of wine.
Their intimate wedding ceremony was attended by just nine close friends and family members, with the couple keeping their nuptials extremely private.
“We’re married! We kept it very, very quiet. Literally, nine people on the planet knew. We wanted to keep it really tiny,” Jet told Closer magazine at the time.
The ceremony was notably casual, with Diane wearing a boho-style top and trousers with sandals, while Zoe opted for chinos, brogues, and a waistcoat.
The newlyweds celebrated with a mini-moon in Northumbria before travelling around the country to celebrate with friends who couldn’t attend the ceremony.
Speaking about their connection, Diane had said: “Zoe is very well educated, she’s very funny, we just spend the moment from waking up to go to sleep laughing.”
A source close to the couple confirmed the split when speaking to MailOnline, explaining the reasons for the break-up.
“Diane and Zoe just realised it wasn’t to be. They didn’t see any point carrying on so decided to end their marriage,” they said.
“It’s sad, especially as they were only married for nearly 18 months, but they just weren’t getting on,” the source added.
The split appears to be amicable, with the source explaining: “On reflection, they may have rushed into making their relationship official but there’s no regrets or hard feelings between them.”
A neighbour near Zoe’s residence revealed that Youdale had not been seen at the property for months.
Gilbert, who works as an educator in the prison service, has since updated her relationship status on Facebook to “single.”
Jet first rose to fame in 1992, aged 22, when she joined the original Gladiators series, becoming one of the show’s standout stars during its first four seasons from 1992-1995.
She previously dated fellow Gladiator James Crossley, known as Hunter, for two years before their relationship ended.
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Youdale left Gladiators in 1996 following a serious neck injury, later marrying TV executive George Mayhew in 1997.
After leaving the show, she moved away from extreme fitness and retrained as a psychotherapist, a profession she continues to practise today.
The original Gladiators series, which attracted over 14 million viewers in its heyday, has recently returned to television screens with Bradley Walsh and his son Barney as hosts.