Gladiators’ Ace went from earning £2,000 an hour to £20 before becoming preacher
As one of the stars of ITV's Gladiators, Warren Furman's life was glamorous, sexy, exciting and made him rich.
His role as the muscle-bound Ace won him legions of adoring fans and he had the pick of women to date – even getting engaged to glamour model Katie Price.
But fast forward 20 years and his life could not be more different.
READ MORE: Gladiator Warrior's troubled life – police raid, gangster link and Tesco bag full of steroids
Furman is now 50 and has turned his back on the showbiz life to become a born-again Christian preacher.
While on the show, Ace was a household name and earned him £2,000 an episode, boosted his income with personal appearances and endorsements.
McVitie's even named a chocolate biscuit after him.
His fame also got him a celebrity girlfriend when he started dating glamour model and Page 3 girl Katie Price, aka Jordan.
The glamorous couple got engaged in 1997 and he became her first fiance (she's had eight so far) before splitting in 1999.
But his life took a nosedive when he left Gladiators in 2000 and struggled to adapt.
At first he tried to pursue a celebrity career, but when that failed he retrained in the construction industry, starting off by labouring on building sites.
His income dropped from £2,000 an hour as a Gladiator to just £20 an hour.
He said: "I came crashing down into the real world. Then people are coming over like 'What's Ulrika like? What's Wolf like?' and in the end I was a bit like 'I'm not actually public property any more, I'm just trying to make a living, so I don't really want to talk about it anymore'.
"I know that sounds conceited, but I felt like I was living in the past. You’re remembering a time when you were earning loads of money and you had fame and fortune, and now it’s gone. It was depressing."
His life took another turn when he became a born-again Christian in his early 40s.
In a recent interview he said his former co-stars couldn't understand his life change. "The other gladiators think I’ve completely lost my mind,” he said.
Furman has also been open about his steroid addiction while on Gladiators, saying that although the show's producers knew about his use, they helped him get the levels down.
Today, as a Christian preacher, he uses his Gladiators past to spread God's word. He even tours schools preaching, dressed as a Roman gladiator to get children's interest.
Now he says he is happy and content and loving his life as a preacher.
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