More than two decades after finding fame on ITV's Gladiators, Ace – real name Warren Furman – is a changed man.

While he has maintained his youthful good looks and his bodybuilder physique, he says he is no longer weighed down by the trappings of a celebrity lifestyle and is now "a gladiator for the gospel".

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Appearing alongside his former co-stars Helen "Panther" O'Reilly, James "Hunter" Crossley and Diane "Jet" Youdale on This Morning today (10 October) to mark the 25 anniversary of the former Saturday night juggernaut, he told hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield that he his ego was even bigger than his muscles.

"I used to worship myself, I thought I was fantastic. I have now turned to God's grace. I am a Gladiator of the gospel," said the 45-year-old, who he was engaged to former glamour model Katie Price at the height of his fame.

"You'll never know God until you change your direction and so I realised this. It was great, we had loads of money and women, but I realised I had to change."

He bowed out of the limelight after turning to faith and finding God. He now runs a gospel choir in York, where he lives with his wife and two kids.

"I'm a Gladiator for the Gospel," the 45-year-old said of his new life. "I had a turd in the swimming pool moment. I thought I was really blessed, but [during the peak of the show] I was too busy looking down to ever look up."

Fans hoping to be drenched in nostalgia couldn't hide their surprise over just how dramatically Ace's life had changed.

"'Errr who remembers Ace from Gladiators?! He's only on This Morning talking about Jesus! Day & life is made!" one viewer wrote while another found his interpretation of finding God bemusing: "@thismorning not sure #god has been linked to 'taking the turd out the pool' before"