Are Gladiators the Pop Stars of the Day?

Are gladiators the pop stars of the day? Did they become rich and famous? Did they have fan clubs? People definitely favored certain kinds of gladiators, certain kinds of armature. There were stories about how they attracted women, in particular, even alete women who sometimes abandoned their families to run off with gladiators. Is this a frequent occurrence, that elite ladies are running off withgladiators? probably nota.