He’s the larger-than-life rugby player who has long been the dark horse on Celebrity Traitors.
Tattooed former England prop Joe Marler, whose gameplay as one of the show’s ‘Faithfuls’ has involved an endearing blend of dry humour and cunning instinct, has long admitted being in awe of his more famous contestants Sir Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross – even referring to them, deferentially, as ‘the Big Dogs’.
But it may not be too long before the bearded 6ft 1in sportsman, branded a ‘gentle giant’, has levelled the playing field.
On last Thursday night’s penultimate episode of the hit BBC show, Marler, 35, cemented his place in Traitors’ history – and in the hearts of its 14million viewers – when he confided to the camera, correctly, that he believed comedian Alan Carr and singer Cat Burns were the last remaining ‘Traitors’ in the castle.
Whether he can prove it, and steal the £100,000 charity prize pot, remains to be seen, setting the show up for what promises to be an exhilaratingly tense finale this week. And it may also have inadvertently set Marler’s career on a different trajectory, catapulting him from being a relatively unknown name to one that prime-time producers fall over themselves to book.
Indeed, I can reveal that BBC bosses were already keeping a close eye on him to see how viewers would take to him on the show. And sources tell me his success means there are now plans to make Marler, who retired from professional sport last year, into a star.
One BBC insider said: ‘The BBC is constantly looking for new talent and the second he stopped playing rugby, there were eyes on him.
‘Bosses knew that getting him on Traitors would be a very good shop window for him and they could test whether or not the viewers would like him. As soon as they saw it, they knew he would be someone the British public would adore and they seem to be right.
Tattooed former England prop Joe Marler, whose gameplay as one of the show’s ‘Faithfuls’ has involved an endearing blend of dry humour and cunning instinct
He has long admitted being in awe of his more famous contestants Sir Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross – even referring to them, deferentially, as ‘the Big Dogs’
But it may not be too long before the bearded 6ft 1in sportsman, branded a ‘gentle giant’, has levelled the playing field
‘At the same time, he himself is ready for a new career after retiring from rugby. He has long wanted to present from a BBC sofa and
The One Show is one of his favourite programmes. To anchor that would be his dream.’
The Corporation’s new controller Kate Phillips is said to be keen on Marler and it was also her sister Ros who was the talent booker for Celebrity Traitors.
Marler’s appeal was further confirmed for BBC bosses when he appeared on last weekend’s Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, which is watched by more than five million viewers.
In one emotional scene, a contestant named Hannah revealed that Marler was her ‘hero’ for speaking openly about his battle with severe depression. The pair hugged as she told him she had also taken up rugby.
He also helped another competitor named Sally, who had survived cancer, to win £110,000.
A source familiar with the series said: ‘Joe was, without doubt, the star of the show. It’s like he was there to give his profile a big, big boost. The show is made by Holly Willoughby’s husband Dan Baldwin and he loves picking up talent and giving them huge roles on his most popular shows, so he will no doubt be in massive demand.’
For those who have followed Marler’s career, there have been subtle signs that he was plotting a sideways step into showbusiness. Three weeks ago, he surprised listeners of his podcast, Things People Do, when he told them he was ending it after five years.
On last Thursday night’s penultimate episode of the hit BBC show, Marler, 35, cemented his place in Traitors’ history – and in the hearts of its 14million viewers
He confided to the camera, correctly, that he believed comedian Alan Carr and singer Cat Burns were the last remaining ‘Traitors’ in the castle
‘Alright you lovely lot, so it’s time for me to say goodbye – or maybe see you later,’ he told them, cryptically. ‘After a lot of chats, laughs and the odd awkward silence, my time has come to an end.
‘I’ll still be out there somewhere, probably in my garden, probably annoying Daisy and the kids, but for now, this chapter closes.’
Marler has also signed with one of the biggest showbusiness talent agencies in the country, M+C Saatchi, which represents Freddie Flintoff and Jamie Redknapp – who both moved from professional sport into television presenting careers – and other BBC stars such as Naga Munchetty and Helen Skelton. Insiders at the agency say they are delighted to have ‘exciting’ Marler on their books.
It’s quite the leap into the celebrity stratosphere, given that many Traitors’ viewers had no idea who he was when the show began last month.
And it has shown a very different side to Marler, who was known for being quite the brute on the pitch.
But then, very little about the sportsman is quite what you expect. Aside from his physical might, he stood out among his England colleagues for being one of the few who was not privately educated.
He grew up in East Sussex and attended Heathfield Community College. His rugby career began at the age of 11 when he played for Eastbourne Sharks.
After moving on to Haywards Heath rugby club, he got his big break with Harlequins in 2009 – the same year he was called up for the England under-20s side – which remained his home until he retired.
His 12-year stint as an England prop also included time playing for the British & Irish Lions and the Barbarians.
Katie Hind revealed BBC bosses were already keeping a close eye on him to see how viewers would take to him on the show
And sources told her his success means there are now plans to make Marler, who retired from professional sport last year, into a star
It was not without controversy. In March 2016, during a Six Nations match against Wales, he referred to prop Samson Lee as ‘gypsy boy’, prompting an uproar among the travelling community and earning him a two-match ban and a £20,000 fine.
In 2020, he was banned for ten weeks after grabbing Welsh captain Alun Wyn Jones’s genitals during another Six Nations match. And he faced a further six-week ban two years later after making an offensive on-pitch slur against Bristol Bears’ flanker Jake Heenan’s mother. Unbeknown to Marler, she was being treated in hospital for cancer.
Last year, Marler was also forced to apologise after writing on X that the All Blacks’ traditional pre-match Haka ‘needs binning’.
But despite his hard man image, he has spoken openly about his mental health issues and the impact they have had on his young family. He has described struggling to get out of bed in the morning, crying on his way to work and taking his ‘rage and anger’ out on his wife Daisy, with whom he has four children, Pixie, Maggie, Felix and Jasper.
In an interview in The Mail on Sunday’s sports pages in 2020, he said: ‘I was having these thoughts: “You’re pathetic. What are you doing here? What’s the point of it all?” Not just the point of rugby, the point of life. It was a case of, “F**k it all”.
‘There were times when I thought: “What would it be like if I wasn’t here?” I had a wife, my kids and I’d say to myself: “They don’t need me, their mum’s incredible, they’d be all right on their own.”
‘Those thoughts filled me with shame and guilt. They were thoughts that would leave the people closest to me in the lurch.’
Marler later revealed he was having counselling, using life coaches and undertaking cognitive behavioural therapy and cognitive analytic therapy. Daisy has been his biggest rock but also his biggest critic. After the incident with Heenan, she was furious. Marler revealed on his podcast that she had called him an ‘idiot’ and refused to defend him.
Outside of rugby, Marler is unusual among his fellow players in that he loves football and is a huge Brighton and Hove Albion fan. He was over the moon when he once got to spend the day training with them – but was two hours late.
Those who know him say that his quirkiness is part of his charm.
In 2023, he started an OnlyFans account for his size 14 feet called @JoseMalaTrotters and posted a deadpan video to promote it.
Alongside images of his toes, he said: ‘Hey you, yeah you, I’ve seen the way you’re looking at my feet.’
One fan quipped: ‘Cheers boss, kids are crying, scared and traumatised, hope you are happy.’
Another added: ‘That’s the retirement fund sorted then.’
Should he win the Traitors final on Thursday – and he is one of the favourites to take the crown – he may find himself with another, more lucrative income stream.
He will go up against his fellow Faithfuls, Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed and historian David Olusoga, and the two remaining Traitors, Carr and Burns.
Friends say he is ‘so thrilled’ to have made new friends, including a so-called ‘bromance’ with comedian Joe Wilkinson.
When Ricky Gervais joked on X that he ‘liked Joe Wilkinson before he was cool’, Marler replied: ‘He’s mine now.’
Whether he wins or loses, friends say the Traitors journey has been ‘life-changing’. ‘For Joe, [it] came out of nowhere, just at the right time when he was ready to throw in the towel on rugby,’ said one.
‘But it has been the best thing that has ever happened to him and now is just the beginning for him.’
