After sharing the heartwarming news that she’d found love while shopping in Tesco, Gladiators icon Jet revealed her plans to head down the aisle with partner Zoe Gilbert after a year and a half of dating.
And now Jet – real name Diane Youdale – exclusively tells Closer that she and Zoe tied the knot in a “secret ceremony” last week.
The couple got married during an intimate celebration in front of only six of their closest friends and family before setting off on a mini-moon in Northumbria.
Jet, 53, says, “We’re married! We kept it very, very quiet. Literally nine people on the planet knew. When you’re in the public eye – whether it was like me and it was literally last millennium, or in this day and age on social media – things just run away with you. I’m in my 50s now and we’re both very private people and we thought, ‘You know, let’s just keep this thing quiet’. We’ve not let even our nearest and dearest know because we wanted to keep it really tiny.
“It was casual, I didn’t wear a dress. I wore a nice boho-type top, trousers and a beautiful pair of sandals. Zoe wore her chinos, brogues and a nice shirt with a waistcoat. She looked ever so smart. I cried a lot.”
Jet first rose to fame in 1992, aged just 22, when she joined the iconic game show Gladiators – where contestants competed against “the gladiators” in a series of physical events. She was one of the breakout stars of the show alongside the likes of Zodiac (Kate Staples), Lightning (Kim Betts), Cobra (Micky Wilson) and Hunter (James Crossley) – dating the latter for two years while they were on the show together.
Jet later married TV executive George Mayhew in 1997, shortly after she’d quit the show because of a serious neck injury, before later going their separate ways.
And after years of being single, she found love again in the most unlikely of places – a Tesco car park, after doing her weekly Pilates class.
Jet describes how Zoe, 48, had noticed her doing her shopping, and went over to introduce herself – with their romance blossoming from there.
She says, “Zoe stood in front of me with these gorgeous blue eyes and said, ‘I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen’ and at that point my knees nearly gave way. Who says that to you in the supermarket?! Then we went on a date to a gastropub in the village and had a nice meal together, and we’ve literally never been apart since. She has a big smile, cracking personality, incredible sense of humour and wisdom… She’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. She should be on an open mic. Some people are just wired that way – what a phenomenal person. And yes, Zoe has told me she fancied me on Gladiators – I didn’t even know she watched it!”
While Jet’s previous relationships have been with men, she’s never felt tied to any one sexual identity. The ’90s icon says, “I’ve always been very relaxed about my sexuality whether I was aware of it or not. I never thought, ‘Oh my gosh I’m this and I need to keep it a secret’.”
When Jet left Gladiators in 1996, she moved away from extreme fitness and entered the world of psychotherapy – which she still practises today. And while she doesn’t see her co-stars very often anymore, they keep in touch and catch up at events when they can.
Jet adds, “The best time we all get to meet up is at Comicons. They’re the most random things you could ever turn up at. They’re so funny! Normally three or four of us will be there and we’ll be sitting together. I’m in touch with all of them, really, particularly Zodiac, Hunter and Lightning. And Cobra – he’s hilarious.”
Now that Jet and Zoe have celebrated their marriage with a select few, they want to travel round the country and celebrate with everyone else – including some of Jet’s former co-stars.
She adds, “Once you’re in your late 40s or 50s, you’ve pretty much worked out the most authentic version of you. You’ve arrived at the person you’ll be for the rest of your life. Zoe is very much the same, regardless of what life’s dealt you. We feel very rounded and whole as a couple.
“I feel more myself than ever now. I don’t have any prejudices against male or female or any sexuality, but I’m definitely more comfortable now and in my life with Zoe.”