Jamie Christian-Johal

Last updated
Jamie Christian-Johal
Personal information
Birth nameJamie Shaun Christian-Johal
Nickname"The Giant"
Nationality Flag of England.svg English
Born (1985-08-27) 27 August 1985 (age 38)
Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England
Occupations
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight20 st 7 lb (287 lb; 130 kg)

Jamie Shaun Christian-Johal (born 27 August 1985) is an English former bodybuilder, firefighter and television personality, known for appearing as "Giant" on the British TV endurance sports game show Gladiators .

Contents

Life and career

Jamie Shaun Christian-Johal was born on 27 August 1985 in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. [1] [2] [3] Prior to working as a bodybuilder and an online fitness coach, he was a firefighter. [4] [5] During his bodybuilding prime, Johal was titled as one of the all-time tallest IFBB Pros in the World, hence earning the nickname "Giant" for standing at massive 6 ft 5 in and weighing over 20 stones; or 130 kilograms. [6]

Johal eats around 10,000 calories a day to maintain his physique. [7] He runs Ilkeston Gym and Fitness alongside his wife Katie. [8] [9] In January 2024, he began appearing as "Giant" on British TV endurance sports game show Gladiators . [10] [11] [12] [13] . His strongest event on the show is Duel, in which he has so far beat most of the contenders in just under 10 seconds, with the quickest takedown time of just about 2 seconds. [14] During his time on the show, Johal was criticised for previously promoting the use of anabolic steroids, despite them being Class C drugs. [15] In response, Johal said he stopped using steroids in around October 2022 and does no longer advocate the use of them. [16]

In 2024 Johal appeared as Giant alongside fellow Gladiator Steel (Zack George) at Sheffield railway station, in which they surprised passengers by helping helping to carry their luggage on and off trains to promote the rebooted game show. [17]

It was announced on 16 May 2024, that Johal would be making his Pantomime debut in the 2024/25 season at Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton. Starring in Beauty and the Beast from 30 November 2024 to 5 January 2025. [18]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleRef.
2023 Strictly Come Dancing Terms and conditions reader [19]
2024–present Gladiators as Giant [20]

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References

  1. "Giant from Gladiators reboot is a former Derbyshire firefighter". Derbyshire Live. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  2. "Gladiators BBC reboot returns to TV featuring Derbyshire's bodybuilding 'Giant'". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  3. "Jamie Shaun CHRISTIAN-JOHAL personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". GOV.UK. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  4. "Who is Giant? Gladiators 2024 star and bodybuilder". Radio Times . Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  5. "New Gladiators Giant, Fire and Legend are ready to face the challenge of champions". BBC .
  6. Hall, Derek. "Jamie Christian-Johal, The World's Tallest Pro Bodybuilder, Will Compete In Spain". fitnesswolt.com.
  7. "Gladiator's Giant says gameshow's success is 'madness'". BBC News . Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  8. by Charlotte McIntyre, Zena Hawley (21 January 2024). "BBC thrown into chaos as local Gladiator's YouTube clip resurfaces". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  9. White, By Vikki (20 January 2024). "Gladiator Giant's seven meals a day and the wife he pays to cook". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  10. "BBC unveils cast of rebooted Gladiators series". Digital Spy. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  11. "Meet the new Gladiators ready to take on contenders in the BBC series". BBC . Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  12. "'I drew abs on my stomach - now I'm a Gladiator'". BBC News. 12 January 2024.
  13. Neudecker, Kate (23 February 2024). "Full Gladiators Line up, Including MH Elite Coach Zack George and Former Cover Star Lee Phillips". Mens Health. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  14. "Gladiators - Series 1 - Episode 1". BBCiPlayer. During event Duel.
  15. by James Brinsford, Howard Lloyd (30 March 2024). "Gladiators star gets 'second chance' after steroid 'gains' comment". Wales Online.
  16. by Charlotte McIntyre, Howard Lloyd (21 January 2024). "'Nightmare' for BBC after Gladiator admits taking steroids". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  17. "Gladiators Giant and Steel help passengers at Sheffield station". BBC News. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  18. "Gladiators star to make pantomime debut in Wolverhampton".
  19. "'We dialled up the superhero': how Gladiators became the BBC's biggest entertainment hit in years | Entertainment TV | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  20. "Gladiators 2024 cast: Meet the new line-up". Radio Times. Retrieved 15 April 2024.