Gladiators star Jamie Christian-Johal, also known as Giant, has been caught boasting about using dangerous steroids in an old YouTube clip.
Before appearing on Gladiators, he said he had stopped using steroids at the end of 2022. Jamie said he does “not advocate the use of them”.
Jamie didn’t start taking steroids until he was 24
In a video titled “Take this and you will get big,” Jamie, who used to be a fireman, said he was taking muscle-boosting Class C drugs. He mentioned that steroid abuse is common in competitive bodybuilding.
“I already had eight years training under my belt and I had already competed twice. And I got some phenomenal gains off that,” he explained. “I know a lot of guys taking a lot of drugs and they are small and out of shape.”
To succeed in his industry, Jamie said training, nutrition and lifestyle play a big role.
While in another YouTube video, Jamie said he “didn’t start taking steroids until I was 24 years old”.
“I have always been open and transparent about my use of steroids whilst I was a professional bodybuilder,” he told the Mirror.
“During that time, I spoke openly about the legal use of performance enhancements as a competitive bodybuilder and how to safely administer them. I stopped competing as a bodybuilder in October 2022 and responsibly came off steroids. I am no longer a professional bodybuilder and am no longer taking steroids and do not advocate the use of them.”
BBC describes the situation as a ‘nightmare’
Anabolic steroids, which are Class C drugs, can only be issued by pharmacists if they are given a prescription. However, it is illegal to sell them and the penalty is an unlimited fine. In addition to that, you can serve a jail term of up to 14 years.
Many of the side effects are reduced sperm count, infertility, shrunken testicles, erectile dysfunction, hair loss, breast development and a higher risk of getting prostate cancer.
The BBC reportedly was only aware of the videos last Friday (January 19). According to an inside source at The Sun, this situation is a “nightmare”. They added: “Fans could find his advice for taking steroids with just a simple Google search of his name.”
On Saturday, the show’s broadcaster said: “The Gladiators production team were robust with their no-drugs policy and drug testing was part of the process which all Gladiators agreed to and complied with. The results showed that they were not taking performance-enhancing drugs.”
Read more: Gladiators fans deliver their verdict on new series and it’s bad news for Bradley and Barney Walsh
Watch Gladiators Saturday night (January 27) on BBC One at 5.50pm.
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