Gladiator stars pay tribute to late referee John Anderson

The Gladiators stars have paid tribute to the late referee John Anderson, who has died at the age of 92.

The show posted a message on Instagram in memory of the Scottish sports coach, writing: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our beloved referee John Anderson at the age of 92. Our condolences go out to his friends and family.”

“John will forever be remembered as the iconic voice that brought us ‘Contenders Ready! Gladiators Ready!'” the tribute continued. “Rest in peace, John.”

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Former participants of the endurance show also shared their memories of Anderson in the show’s stories. Wolf wrote: “Just heard that my dear friend John just passed away. Although everyone thought he was my arch enemy on the show, we were actually best friends.”

“Without my interactions with John, my character would never have been as successful on the show. He really made the show,” he continued. “I will miss him very much. Rest in peace.”

Jet joined in the tributes, hailing Anderson as “the voice” of Gladiators UK.

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“John was the voice of the original UK Glad,” she wrote. “In my eyes he was a brilliant referee, firm and fair.”

“I also enjoyed working with and inspiring his character,” she continued. “Rest in peace, love to Dorothy, his dogs (if they’re still there), the rest of his family and the Glad fans who will feel this too…”

“He had an incredible life as a coach, television referee and husband, a force of nature with an energy that will always be remembered,” Hunter added, while Rhino described Anderson as “the true backbone of the Gladiators.”

“Her smile, her voice and her energy were unmatched,” he wrote.

Gladiators airs on BBC One.

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