Joe Marler has admitted he ‘would not be here’ if it was not for his wife Daisy as he opened up on his battle with depression.
The former England rugby player – who is currently appearing on Celebrity Traitors – has had a colourful career on the pitch with nearly 300 appearances for his club side Harlequins.
He became well known as one of rugby’s most vibrant characters, renowned for his sense of humour, before retiring from the game in 2024.
But away from the pitch and beneath the surface, he was struggling with his mental health.
Appearing on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast on Wednesday, Joe gushed over his wife, Daisy, as he opened up on his darkest period.
He said: ‘I wouldn’t be in this world without her, like she’s everything.
Joe Marler has admitted he ‘would not be here’ if it was not for his wife Daisy as he opened up on his battle with depression
The former England rugby player – who is currently appearing on Celebrity Traitors – has had a colourful career on the pitch with nearly 300 appearances for his club side Harlequins (pictured with his wife Daisy and four kids)
‘Like she’s incredible.’
The pair have been married since 2017, and they have four children: Pixie, Maggie, Felix, and Jasper.
Joe also recalled how he once had thoughts to ‘end it all’ in 2018 following an argument with Daisy.
The pair clashed after she became upset that he hadn’t swerved to avoid a squirrel on the road while driving back from the school drop-off.
He said: ‘I had a complete meltdown. Ran out on Daisy. Then the thoughts of not wanting to be here anymore really took hold of me.
‘I thought maybe the world’s better off if I’m not around. Like, let’s just leave. Both from a practical point of view, leaving her and the kids, and everyone around.
‘But also from a worldly point of view. You go, “What would that look like if I wasn’t here anymore?”
‘That was the moment that I was like, “f***ing hell, I need help. I need some proper help here.” So, I don’t know what’s going on’.
Away from the pitch and beneath the surface, he was struggling with his mental health
Appearing on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast on Wednesday, Joe gushed over his wife, Daisy, as he opened up on his darkest period
He said: ‘I wouldn’t be in this world without her, like she’s everything’
‘I’d tried finding the answers or working it out from 2016 to 2018, and I was like, “No, I do need to go and get help here”.
‘And then that was it. I went and found a psychiatrist. It was actually the doctor at Harlequin. So the day after Squirrel Gate, I had a game against Saracens at Wembley.
‘I had a chat and he was just asking if everything all right, everything at home, like all of that lot and delved into more.
‘It was him who was like, “we’re going to get you some help, mate. Like, let’s get through the game today, and then we will get you some help.”
‘That was that moment, yeah. That was the turning point to go and actually find some proper answers from people who knew their sh*t.’
After going to therapy and taking antidepressants, Joe is now looking after his mental health and is in a ‘better head space’.
Joe has been busy taking part in the first series of Celebrity Traitors, which launched on BBC One earlier this month, and sees him joined by the likes of Stephen Fry and Celia Imrie.
The series has already waved goodbye to a large handful of its ‘Faithful’ celebrities, including singer Paloma Faith, YouTube star Niko Omilana, EastEnders actress Tameka Empson, Olympic diver Tom Daley, actress Ruth Codd and presenter Clare Balding.
Joe has been busy taking part in the first series of Celebrity Traitors, which launched on BBC One earlier this month, and sees him joined by the likes of Stephen Fry and Celia Imrie
Traitors Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr and Cat Burns have so far remained undetected by their fellow celebrity players.
Speaking about the whole experience, he told Jamie: ‘I felt incredibly uncomfortable doing it. You think in the rugby world, like rugby is massive. You’re like, “This is a big thing.”
‘You know, everyone knows about rugby. You think it’s like massive. You come out of it, you go into like a normal world, and then they go, “Oh, who are you then? What do you do?”
‘And I go, “Uh, I used to play rugby”. And they’re like, “Oh, right. Uh, what league or union or what sort of thing?”
‘And it was really good because it was like, mate, the f***ing world does not know.
‘Do you know what I mean? Have a bit of perspective on it. But yeah, getting confused for being like the sound guy or in charge of the props was many of my highlights.’
Joe continued: ‘It was one of the best experiences of my life. From a fan of the show to watch it, to then, when I got the opportunity to go on it, I was like, “f**k yeah”.
‘And it didn’t disappoint. Like, doing it was just some of the most fun I’ve ever had. It was just bonkers.’
If you are suffering from depression, call Samaritans free on 116 123
