Gladiators may have ended 23 years ago but with the revival scheduled to return later this year, BBC fans are curious to know what happened to the original stars, including Nightshade.
Prior to joining the iconic show, Judy Simpson was a successful heptathlete, winning medals at a number of Commonwealth Games, European and World Championships.
She also competed in three Olympic Games and ranked highly in each of the competitions.
Nightshade went on to join the cast of Gladiators in 1993 and was considered one of the toughest women on the show, with particular talent in Dule, Pole-Axe and Suspension Bridge.
Sadly, her time on the show was brought to an abrupt end when she became ill.
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During filming for an Ashes competition with Australian Gladiators, Simpson contracted a virus.
She received support from the team behind Gladiators but was unable to put her all into the show anymore and so made her exit in 1996.
Simpson may have retired from being in the spotlight but she remained part of the fitness industry.
Nightshade, now 63, became a sporting ambassador and an honorary president of the Women’s Sports Federation.
The Gladiators star continues to work for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and has been awarded an MBE because of her sporting achievements.
In addition to this, Nightshade is also a First Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon-Do.
Regarding her personal life, Judy has been married to her former coach Robin Simpson for decades and he was there at the height of her Olympic career.
It isn’t clear if the couple have children today but were left devastated in 1999 when they lost their baby.
The couple’s daughter Joan Mary Simpson was just eight-months-old when she contracted meningitis.
They have never come out publicly to address the tragedy but a brief statement was released at the time by the chief administrator
Andy Paul from Birmingham-based Birchfield Harriers athletics club, where she trained.
He said: “This is extremely sad and the whole of the club is thinking about Judy and Robin. The baby died of meningitis on Wednesday.”
Gladiators will return later this year on BBC One.
