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Celebrity Traitors' Joe Marler opens up on dark time he 'racially abused' player - The Mirror


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Daily Mirror

Celebrity Traitors' Joe Marler opens up on dark time he 'racially abused' player

Former England rugby player, Joe Marley, is currently starring in the BBC's star studded spin-off of the Traitors

Celebrity Traitor star Joe Marler has candidly discussed his struggle with depression and the shame he felt after 'racially abusing' a fellow player.


The ex-England rugby player, who is currently gracing our screens in the BBC's star-studded spin-off of The Traitors, boasts an impressive career on the pitch with nearly 300 appearances for Harlequins under his belt.


However, before hanging up his boots in 2024, he was grappling with mental health issues that led to fiery confrontations on the field, which subsequently impacted his family life.


Speaking on The High Performance podcast with host Jake Humphrey, Joe delved into his darkest days, revealing: "I was always described as quite bipolar."

He went on to say: "I had gone through quite a couple different on field incidents and there was one in particular against England v Wales, where I ended up racially abusing a Welsh player from traveller descent.", reports Wales Online.


The sportsman confessed: "I didn't know where to turn, what I'd done and I was like I need to get out of this. I just need to withdraw completely and I pulled out of the England tour to Australia that year.

"Fast forward nine months I'm starting to get similar feelings without these incidents happening and then other incidents whether it's punching people or verbally abusing people on the pitch."

Shifting focus to his personal life, Joe recounted a heart-wrenching moment when his wife Daisy was left in tears on the floor, begging him to seek professional help.


The couple, who have been happily married since 2017, are proud parents to four children: Pixie, Maggie, Felix, and Jasper.

In a heart-wrenching revelation, Joe shared: "Then it started creeping into home life. I then lost control. She's (Daisy) seven months pregnant at the time and I'm turning the house over."


He went on to say: "Punching the walls, punching the doors in, shouting and screaming and I just left, I left her and said 'I'm gone'."

Visibly emotional, the sportsman recalled: "That image of her lying on the floor crying her eyes out seven months pregnant, like that's burnt into my memory of my most ashamed I've been.

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"That was like a crescendo of what had been building, of how I have been feeling, trying to put it to one side and then a content thought of not wanting to be here anymore."

He concluded: "I was at a pretty low point in my life, I had hit rock bottom and then went and got help and I started therapy and medication then I started to realise what I had around me, my beautiful wife and my kids."

The Celebrity Traitors continues on BBC One and iPlayer tonight at 9pm

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