'An absolutely phenomenal man with an iconic voice'

Tributes are being paid to John Anderson who died at the age of 92 on Sunday

Tributes have been paid to former Gladiators referee and athletics coach John Anderson after he died at the age of 92.

Mr Anderson, who lived in Corby, Northamptonshire, and died on Sunday, was best known for his role as the referee on ITV's original series of Gladiators, which aired from 1992 to 2000.

His friend and assistant Alec Clarke told BBC Radio Northampton: "The world of athletics will miss John Anderson."

Mr Anderson, originally from Scotland, had been working with grassroots sport programmes in the county in recent years but Mr Clarke said he had trained athletes from all over the world.

The sports coach was best known for his famous Gladiators catch-phrase: "Contender, ready! Gladiator, ready!"

He also served as the head coach for the Amateur Athletics Association of England and Scottish national coach.

Mr Clarke said: "He coached athletes in every corner of the world - Australia, America, Africa.

"His knowledge was shared with all these athletes around the world.

"He was totally selfless, he was such an amazing man."

"He could have gone anywhere on this planet and within a couple of months he would have turned out an international athlete."

Mr Anderson coached more than 100 Olympians, including David Moorcroft, Sheila Carey, Liz McColgan and Judy Simpson, who appeared on Gladiators as Nightshade in the 1990s.

"He could spot raw talent from a mile away. He got the very best out of people across the world," added Mr Clarke.

'Phenomenal man'

Shirley Addison, who appeared as Battleaxe on the Sky reboot of Gladiators in 2008, said Mr Anderson helped recruit her for the show.

She described Mr Anderson as an "absolutely phenomenal man with an iconic voice".

The pair knew each other as Mr Anderson had coached her dad, Andrew Webb, for the Commonwealth Games in the 1970s

"Dad was blown away by John's dedication to the sport. He was there for every [training] session," she said.

"He was an incredibly clear communicator and you didn't want to disappoint him.

"He was just filled with so much experience, he coached people for the Olympic Games between 1964 to 2000. He was just an amazing man."