Gladiators icon is now a vicar who ‘prays for ex-fiancée Katie Price’

He swapped his Gladiators lycra for a vicar’s cassock – and now the one-time TV star Warren Furman is praying for his ex-girlfriend and fiancée, Katie Price.

Warren performed as Ace for eight years during the show’s original run on ITV, back when it was hosted by Ulrika Jonsson and footballer John Fashnu.

When the series ended in 2000, the now 58-year-old eventually went on to become associate curate at a church in Hammersmith, West London.

During the height of his fame, Warren met and romanced glamour model and media personality Katie – even briefly becoming engaged during their 18 months together.

The muscleman has returned to television – as a contender this time – in the ITV series The Summit, joining host Ben Shephard and 13 other competitors in a race for £200,000.

In the wake of the show’s premiere last month, Warren has reflected on his whirlwind romance with Katie.

‘We were both equally to blame for the breakdown of our relationship. We were both young, we were both courting the Press,’ Warren told The Sun.

Asserting that they parted on relatively good terms, he said that they ‘got on very well, but the pressures of fame cursed the relationship in a lot of ways.’

Having proposed with a £3,000 ring, Warren didn’t always have good things to say about Katie afterwards – previously saying that he was ‘in a club of people who had had a lucky escape by not marrying Katie.’

On what he thinks of his ex now, he said: ‘I pray for her because in that lifestyle of hers it’s very difficult to keep on the straight and narrow, and it’s very difficult to trust people.

‘I pray that her family can stay together and I pray that she can settle down and find peace and happiness.’

Katie, 47, recently tied the knot to new man Lee Andrews, following a brief holiday romance to businessman Lee Andrews.

The pair shocked her family by marrying in January, at a ceremony in Dubai.

With Lee reportedly unable to join Katie in the UK due to a travel ban, she’s been jetting back and forth to spend time with her new man.

In a show of commitment to his new family, Lee recently unveiled a new tattoo dedicated to Katie’s son, Harvey – despite never having met him.

This weekend, Lee proudly showed off a photo of a drawing that Harvey had made for him – which portrayed Katie and Lee as frogs and saw Harvey refer to Lee as ‘Daddy’.

Captioning the post, Lee wrote: ‘Harvey’s beautiful picture for me and his mummy. Aww Daddy Lee x Cute. If you love your wife your love their children [sic].’

As for Warren, he went on to marry Dionne, who is also a curate in charge of the church where they work.

The pair share two children together – son Bailey and daughter Annabel.

Upon being ordained in 2024, he told The Sun: ‘I’ve gone from TV’s Gladiator to God’s gladiator, while Dionne has gone from flying high as a cabin crew manager with Virgin Atlantic to reaching for the sky in the name of Jesus.’

He hasn’t forgotten his roots though – with his stole reportedly being emblazoned with a Gladiators’ helmet as a wink to his TV past.

On his decision to join The Summit, Warren told the tabloid: ‘God loves mountains and a tent.’

If he hopes to take home the £200k jackpot, he’ll have to scale a mountain in the Alps of New Zealand’s South Island, lugging his share of the cash.

‘If you want to see capitalism at its worst, strap £200 grand on someone’s back and say, “Right, first one to the top wins it,”‘ he joked, of the show’s concept.

The Summit returns on Tuesday at 9pm on ITV1.

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