Former rugby star Joe Marler is among the 19 celebrities competing in the BBC’s Celebrity Traitors.
Joe Marler is best known for his success on the rugby field, but the Celebrity Traitors star has also become a strong advocate for mental health awareness.
The former Harlequins player, who is one of 19 celebrities featured in the BBC reality series hosted by Claudia Winkleman, has spoken openly about facing difficult times and being diagnosed with depression.
In an interview with The iPaper earlier this year, Marler shared that he struggled with his mental health in 2018 and often found himself in tears during his commute to work. He later sought professional help and was diagnosed with depression, according to The Daily Record.
It became more than just feeling low or down, struggling to get out of bed, or crying on the way to work — things like that,
said the star
It would actually manifest in rage and anger and then taking it out on my wife. She was heavily pregnant at the time, and I would wreck the house. It was like, f***, I’m actually destroying all that’s good around me.
Things eventually reached a breaking point when Joe, who shares four children with his wife Daisy, injured his hand after punching a door in their kitchen.
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He went to a doctor to have his injury checked, but the conversation soon turned to his emotional struggles, leading the doctor to suggest he get professional help. The celebrity later met with a psychiatrist, telling The Guardian in 2020:
We sat in two chairs and chatted and he said, ‘You’re suffering with severe depression so we’re going to treat you accordingly.’ I was like, ‘Brilliant. We’ve got a plan’. Not knowing is the tough bit,
the rugby star admitted
Joe, 35, has swapped the rugby pitch for Scotland’s Ardross Castle, where he will take part in Celebrity Traitors alongside a range of other well-known names including Charlotte Church, Jonathan Ross, Lucy Beaumont, Joe Wilkinson, Alan Carr, Clare Balding, Cat Burns, Tom Daley, Nick Mohammed, and Celia Imrie.
Also joining the BBC series are David Olusoga, Kate Garraway, Ruth Codd, Paloma Faith, Mark Bonnar, Niko Omilana, Stephen Fry, and Tameka Empson.
Celebrity Traitors premieres at 9pm on BBC One on Wednesday, October 8.