Joe Marler’s eyes have always twinkled in front of the camera. A man full of mischief, it was little surprise to see him holding his own on the BBC alongside the likes of Stephen Fry and Alan Carr on Celebrity Traitors.When he sat down beside Jonathan Ross with a pink blanket wrapped around his head, discussing the latest round table at Ardross Castle, it was the sort of disarming touch he showed throughout his rugby career. Marler, as a rugby player, was not as straightforward as people thought. Marler was an observant man, despite his silly haircuts and slapstick humor.‘You’re about to ask a probing question, aren’t you?’ he once said to me over the breakfast table at his family home in Sussex, which was usually overrun by chickens, dogs, a tortoise or any the other pets that had been welcomed into the household.‘How do you know that?’ I replied.‘Because you always clasp your hands together and point them towards me when you’re trying to get something out of me.’ Daily Mail Sport’s Nik Simon with his friend Joe Marler, the former England prop and star of the Celebrity Traitors Marler has been ahead of the game throughout The Celebrity Traitors, making his voice heard at the round table and gunning in particular for Jonathan Ross Marler, seen here during the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, is an animal lover whose pets include chickens, dogs and a tortoiseLike every good Faithful, Marler always picked up on body language and moods and mannerisms. Marler knew the names of all the journalists in the room. He was prepared to confront his interrogators with all the information he had about them.‘Are you still killing yourself with those vapes?’ he would regularly ask my colleague.At the 2019 World Cup in Japan, I was the one in Marler’s line of fire. The travelling media – myself included – were staying in the same hotel as the England team on Rokko Island.Most Japanese hotels are equipped with a communal onsen – a traditional hot spring where it is customary to bathe naked. Marler and Ellis Genge were in the onsen with me at the time. They took great pleasure in telling me that I looked overdressed wearing my trunks. ‘You’re having it today,’ he said, with no elaboration.A few hours later, at a press conference on live television, Marler glanced towards me from the top-table with a knowing smirk. He interrupted me as I was about to ask a query.‘I would like to apologise for the behaviour of the English media,’ The translation given to the Japanese media was so poor that any dry humor was lost.‘You have offended the Japanese culture,’ He said, looking at me directly. ‘It says specifically that you’Re meant to be bare in the onsen. No shorts. I went into the pool wearing a rash jacket to cover my tattoos. But nothing below. And yet you’re swanning about in swim shorts? Ridiculous.’ Marler threw himself into the local culture while staying in Tokyo, even outdoing me with his (lack of) clothes in the hot spring! The prop was a fearsome opponent who gave his all for the England cause across a 95-cap career spanning 12 years Marler, pictured at his home in Sussex, often used his Daily Mail Sport column to fire shots at rugby’s bureaucratsAfter the press conference, I was swarmed by Japanese journalists. Marler had a plan to wind me up. I was asked if I’d like to reply, but I knew that he would. Marler was a regular contributor to the Daily Mail for most of the second half of the rugby career. He had become adept at writing his own columns by the time of his retirement. The letters would arrive two hour later than requested, but it was worth the wait. Perfectly written and word-perfect. Sharp and heartfelt. I was gobsmacked by the quality of his writing.He often used his column to fire pot shots at rugby’s bureaucrats.As a player, he was a firm subscriber of the Rassie Erasmus and Agustin Pichot side of the sport’s politics, rallying against the established order. His relationship with Rugby was love-hate. He loved the camaraderie of rugby and the smell of jockstraps, but hated conservatism and bureaucracy. Rugby’s arch non-conformist.He had media managers pulling their hair out. I saw him chew a flower like a farm dog during a photoshoot to promote an event. ‘Protect the Rose’ campaign. On another occasion, he pulled a Bane mask out of his bag while his picture was being taken, with the image ending up on the front cover of the Daily Mail’s Matchday magazine.Stick to the script? Marler, not so much. Ever the eccentric, in an interview with Daily Mail Sport, Marler sported a Bane mask in honour of the DC Comics villain, played in the Dark Knight Rises by Tom Hardy He has always been an entertainer, vocal with his opinions and hilariously funny at the same time. Marler is much more than scrums, slapstick and comedy. He has a podcast in which he interviews people from all walks of life about everything but rugby. Most players prefer to do their media work at their team hotel because they feel safe. Last summer, we got together in Tokyo ahead of England’s match against Japan. We rode a wild bike around the sprawling city, sampling spam sushi and multicoloured cheese toasties at Harajuku. We went to ninja school and sat in a micropig café to preview the match. Marler did not follow the crowd. His opinions were always his own. Anyone who spent more than five minutes in Marler’s company could tell that he wouldn’t be influenced by the Traitors Round Table herd mentality. Marler is much smarter than what he says. He mastered the kinetics of the scrum as a player, grasping the levers and the physics of rugby’s set-piece. Marler was usually the winner of this chess-like match. Under the silly exterior, Marler was determined to upset his opponents. He would sing Tina Turner as they bound together, stamping on his opposite man’s foot or scraping a stud down their ankle. You’re calling out Jonathan Ross for his Big Dog Theory? Child’s play.Marler always seemed destined to step out of the traditional rugby circles.At times, he faced as big a battle with himself as he did with the opposition. He is much more than scrums, slapstick and other gimmicks. In the final years of his rugby career, he created a podcast where he interviewed people from all walks of life about topics other than rugby. He was always an entertainer and funny, voicing his opinions. In 2023 we visited Michelin-star Chef Tom Kerridge in his London restaurant. Marler barreled into the kitchen to the delight of the entire staff as he wore a apron which barely covered his barrel-shaped torso. Marler, a former London Harlequins rugby player, retired in November last year. In 2023 we visited Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge in his restaurant in London. Marler barrelled into the kitchen and had the entire staff in stitches I have interviewed hundreds of sportspeople over the years but never have I come across one so intriguing as the old prop’I was a sous chef at Bateman’s tea room in East Sussex when I was a teenager. The place where Rudyard Kipling used to live,’ he told them.‘My ex-girlfriend’s mum was the head chef and she had me chopping salad and making scones. I had to take the bins out and at the same time I’d leave a whole banana loaf out by the bins and tuck it in my bag at the end of the day. In the end, I got sacked because they realised I’d been nicking cakes! Anyway… have you got a job going?’When I interviewed him after he announced his retirement last year, he told me he would love to go on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! He has now ticked of the Traitors. Hopefully there will be more celebrity gameshows to come. In my career as a journalist, I’ve interviewed hundreds of athletes but never one so interesting. The Joe Marler Show is it? The Joe Marler Show?
2025-10-30 11:18:25
The Joe Marler I’ve known and loved for years – and what he could do next after Traitors starring role: How he embarrassed me over a Japanese hot spring, the night we cuddled piglets in Tokyo, why he owns a Bane mask… and his talent for TV
