INTERVIEW

ULRIKA ON SEX & TOYBOYS: ‘It’s about connection, not age!’

Ulrika Jonsson tells Closer about her dating exploits and her ‘awkward’ encounter with Vanessa Feltz’s ex

Sbombshell on the original Gladiators series in the ‘90s, Ulrika Jonsson was the face –and body –of posters everywhere, and she famously embarked on a string of high-profile romances.

But ahead of her 50th birthday in 2017, the TV star admitted that she had been living in a marriage with ex-husband Brian Monet for almost a decade which she felt lacked the necessary sexual intimacy.

Now, as Closer speaks with Ulrika at 56, she says her love life and outlook on life have had a huge boost in her 50s, crediting her playful sense of humour and younger men for her renewed zest for life – in and out of the bedroom.

BAGGAGE

Admitting that her first foray into the world of online dating following her 2019 divorce saw her forget to set an “age limit” for potential suitors, Ulrika says, “I thought, ‘Oh there’s a lot of young men on here!’ but actually I love the energy of young people.

“My best friend asks me all the time why I date younger men, but it wasn’t deliberate. There are pluses and minuses to both. It’s not that men my age come with baggage –I’ve got a whole cabin full of baggage –but they seem to maybe have struggled getting over one love of their life or struggled to get over something from the past.

“With younger guys, they are more straightforward and their lives are about them. But energy and connection in the bedroom can be across generations and the ages. My sex drive I have to say, has not been an issue for me –ever.”

Ahead of her first marriage to cameraman John Turnball – with whom she shares son Cameron – in 1990, Ulrika famously admitted to sharing a “slap and tickle” with Prince Edward and was forced to deny claims she had an affair with Shooting Stars co-star Vic Reeves.

Following their 1995 divorce, Ulrika went on to date Gladiator Hunter – real name James Crossley – for a year-and-a-half before going public with footballer Stan Collymore, who later assaulted her in a bar in Paris during a night out.

Following their break-up, Ulrika welcomed her daughter Bo, 23, with hotelier Markus Kempen, but was again struck by betrayal when he walked out on their newborn just six days after she had undergone life-saving heart surgery.

But it was her four-month affair with former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson – who sadly revealed last month that he has around a year to live as he battles cancer – in 2002 that has followed Ulrika throughout her life and career.

Now, after two further marriages to La