I went from Gladiators star to $7m guru & even cracked Hollywood – but shocked cast by tearing into ‘obnoxious’ A-lister

OLYMPIAN, TV star, Hollywood actress, and present a multimillionaire - it’d beryllium an understatement to accidental that Jennifer Stoute has kept herself engaged implicit the decades.

But contempt the jam-packed CV, Jennifer - who 25 years agone starred arsenic Rebel connected Gladiators - shows nary motion of slowing down.

Speaking to The Sun, Jennifer has opened up astir however the archetypal ITV show saved her erstwhile she was near injured and incapable to transportation connected her Olympic imagination - and however her caller business, which is present worthy $7MILLION, saved her erstwhile the series came to an abrupt end.

She besides reveals however she tore into "obnoxious" Russell Crowe portion acting arsenic a chariot operator successful Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator... earlier helium brutally chopped her character's caput off.

Born successful Bradford successful 1965, Jennifer moved down to London erstwhile her parents divorced property five, surviving with her mum and 3 different siblings.

After moving to Barbados for 2 years, she came backmost to London for sixth signifier and discovered her emotion of running.

“I wasn’t the astir talented youngster - I retrieve going to London schoolhouse games and coming last," she said.

"But I had a imaginativeness and determination to privation to marque the Olympic Games."

By 1988 Jennifer had made the British Olympic squad arsenic portion of the 4 x 400m relay, 2 years aft failing to decorativeness successful the 200m last astatine the Commonwealth Games.

Though the squad finished sixth, she inactive remembers it arsenic an “iconic” infinitesimal successful her beingness - and she had caught the bug.

“I loved each infinitesimal of it. Once I got the consciousness of it I decided I privation to spell to different Olympics Games, but this clip I really wanted to get a medal.”

Four years later, that’s precisely what she did - winning a Bronze successful Barcelona with a idiosyncratic champion clip for the event.

“I retrieve I was 26, 27 twelvemonth aged and really saying to myself, I don’t cognize whether I’ll beryllium astir for different Olympic Games due to the fact that I’ll beryllium 32 years old. 

“Before the games started I retrieve putting my T-shirt successful my container and thinking, there’s nary mode we’re not going to marque successful the 4 by 4 relay squad and really get 3rd place.

"So erstwhile we got the medal it was incredible.”

Rebel Yell

After a crippling hamstring wounded near her incapable to compete, Jennifer remembers uncovering herself astatine a nonaccomplishment without way and tract successful her beingness - until Gladiators came along. 

“I was benignant of successful a spot of a atrocious state,” she recalls.

“I was thinking, what americium I going to do? I emotion way and tract but I’m not getting myself backmost into it, and I was getting older. 

After being introduced to the amusement by Olympians-turned-Gladiator-cast-members Sharron Davies and Derek Redmond, Jennifer was astatine archetypal sceptical. 

“I retrieve thinking, I’m a superior athlete, I don’t leap astir successful lycra - nary mode I’m going to bash this show. 

“I was having a speech with a mates of others successful way and tract and they said ‘Jennifer, spell for it! Just effort it out.'

"I trained and got myself ready, and erstwhile I got to the try-outs and was really picked to beryllium Rebel, I was similar wow, amazing!.”

As Rebel, Jennifer she rapidly became a instrumentality favourite - but her 3 years connected the amusement led to difficulties that were some carnal and mental. 

“Every twelvemonth your assemblage gets beaten and you’re grooming to enactment acceptable and strong, to beryllium up of the crippled each the clip - that was 1 of the hardest challenges,” she said.

“I find it precise hard coming from a sporting background to beryllium this precise glamorous person,” Jeniffer said. 

“It was a large glamour thing, each the make-up, but I wan’t that idiosyncratic - I was an athlete. The make-up happening utilized to thrust maine perfectly insane, I was ever being told disconnected for not putting it on.

“They made maine deterioration bluish oculus shadiness and reddish lipstick, and I retrieve Oprah Winfrey saying that achromatic girls with that operation isn’t the mode to go. But determination I was.” 

“(One of the amusement directors) would say, “Come on, Rebel, beryllium much girly!”. I’d conscionable reply “What the hellhole is girly?”.”

But determination were plentifulness of laughs connected the amusement too.

"When we did Gladiators I didn’t truly cognize immoderate one's names; I conscionable knew their signifier names," she said.

"If idiosyncratic asked me, “Oh, what is Rio’s name?” I’m like, “Ermmmm...I don’t truly know. It was rather strange!"

'Obnoxious' A-Lister

With legions of fans and a amusive - but demanding - relation that kept her a acquainted look successful British surviving rooms, it came arsenic a daze when, connected the mode backmost from a vacation with big Ulrika Jonsson, the quality broke that the amusement was coming to an extremity - leaving them some without a job.

“I retrieve Ulrika and I were connected a plane, and her cause astatine the clip told her that Gladiators is finished.

“She looked astatine maine and said, ‘Jen, I deliberation we’re retired of a job.’

“I was like, ‘What!?’. I was reasoning astir getting backmost to way and tract - but I was coming up to 35 truthful I said to myself, it’s decidedly not going to happen.”

Twenty 5 years connected from the amusement coming to an end, Jennifer and Ulrika are inactive adjacent friends, reuniting successful 2022 connected the acceptable of Celebs Go Dating.

Gladiators the TV amusement was nary much - but Hollywood beckoned, and alongside chap stars of the amusement Rio and Rocket, Jennifer incredibly bagged a relation successful Ridley Scott’s Gladiator arsenic a chariot archer. 

“They were looking for 3 achromatic girls,” she recalls. “We were the lone 3 achromatic girls determination and we got the part.”

But portion she loved the stunt work, she was little impressed with main antheral Russell Crowe - truthful unimpressed she ended up giving him a portion of her caput that astir outgo her job.

“I got to talk to Russell Crowe," she said. "At the time, to beryllium fair, I thought helium was a spot excessively obnoxious. He wanted to contention maine connected the auditorium, but I was similar no, I’m not going to bash that. 

“We were each messing astir and astatine the clip Ridley didn’t privation Russell to bash a stunt wherever helium had to rear the equine up. They wanted the stunt feline Stuart to bash it due to the fact that helium was his stunt treble - but Russell was similar nary no no, I privation to bash it. 

“He truly rears the equine up and helium shouts “Come connected everybody, how’s that for a motherf***ing stunt?” 

As the prima came circular to shingle the hands of everybody watching, Jennifer recalled the infinitesimal she couldn’t fell her vexation immoderate longer.

“I blurted out, “Oh my God, you’re truthful obnoxious!” - but I didn’t realise I inactive had my mic on,” she said.

“I’ve ne'er seen idiosyncratic who waits for the assemblage to buss his arse astatine the aforesaid time.

“People heard it, and I was similar s*** - I thought I’m successful large trouble. I could spot Ridley walking towards maine to accidental you’re out, you can’t bash that to 1 of our biggest stars. But helium shook my manus and carried connected walking!”

Business guru

At the aforesaid clip arsenic making Gladiator, Jennifer was owed to audition arsenic a presenter connected Don’t Try This At Home with Davina McCall - but wasn’t capable to effort for it erstwhile filming ran implicit schedule, thing she remembers arsenic 1 of her “biggest regrets.”

“I footwear myself due to the fact that I truly wanted to bash presenting, and past the 1 accidental I had I lost. So aft that determination wasn’t overmuch that came out, different than doing idiosyncratic experiences." 

Both Gladiators and the movie had wrapped up, and Jennifer was retired connected a limb - but she would soon acceptable the signifier for a caller section successful her beingness that’s gone connected to rake successful millions. 

Alongside her (now ex) hubby John, they acceptable up a sports bureau with the assistance of the wealth saved from Gladiators and her quality successful the film, and went “all in” successful making the institution a success.

“I deliberation with John and I coming from way and tract we understood the enactment ethic successful bid to get thing - our accomplishment successful the past was 1 happening but our enactment and dedication gathering the institution was different thing. We had to springiness up a batch successful presumption of spending clip with friends oregon household oregon going out.”

But for Jennifer it’s each been worthy it, acknowledgment to the semipermanent relationships she’s been capable to physique with her athletes - and not conscionable due to the fact that the institution is present worthy a whopping $7million.

“We telephone ourselves a household due to the fact that adjacent though we tin person an astonishing transportation with our athletes we don’t instrumentality it for granted," she said.

“Everybody has to marque money. But successful bid to really beryllium palmy you person to beryllium passionate astir it, you person to privation to person pridefulness successful watching it turn and go thing - and besides person pridefulness successful radical you’re giving proposal to and ticker them turn and make successful a satellite that tin beryllium rather brutal sometimes.”

Jennifer’s kids - Alicia, 22, and Rene, 19 - person some inherited her passionateness for sport, with the younger girl a GB inferior planetary sponsored by Nike.

And her favourite happening to splash the currency on? A large car - preferably 1 that’s four-wheel drive.

“I deliberation that symbolises the grander benignant of beingness that I’m pushing myself for. I privation to beryllium bigger and much palmy than I was successful my sporting beingness and erstwhile I was doing Gladiators,” she explained.

She added: “When I spell to America, I get the biggest four-wheeled thrust I tin find - I conscionable similar that presence, feeling similar I’m commanding connected the road.”

She’s besides excited for Gladiator 2, starring Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal - and revealed she’s been contacted by producers astatine Paramount.

“I would emotion to get onto the reddish carpet,” she admitted. 

“I was contacted by Paramount saying they whitethorn usage a clip of the aged movie of maine successful a chariot for portion of the titles successful the cinema. If that happens it’s going to beryllium amazing.”