Former England rugby star Joe Marler left his wife Daisy seething after he insulted an opponent during his playing days. Daisy was incensed when her husband referred to the mother of a rival player as a ‘w***e’. Before becoming a media favourite and star of the popular show Celebrity Traitors, the ex-Harlequins player was a contentious figure both on and off the field.
The 35-year-old’s candid nature often landed him in trouble with rugby officials, his colleagues, and occasionally at home. Now, the retired prop is set to further his fame as he features in the Christmas edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He hopes to curb his tendency for verbal blunders as he becomes a regular on mainstream television, although he has ruled out appearances on Strictly Come Dancing and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
However, if Marler plans to maintain his public profile, he may need to rein in his tongue. This particular choice of words occurred in 2022, before his retirement last November.
The host of the Things People Do podcast aimed his insult at the mother of Bristol Bears flanker Jake Heenan. Unbeknownst to Marler, she was battling cancer in hospital at the time.
He received a six-week ban, with four weeks suspended, and following a stern reprimand, the 2017 British and Irish Lions star promptly took the opportunity to apologise on his podcast.
“I’ve f***ed it all up again,” he confessed. “I’m really sorry to Jake Heenan and his family, the guy I insulted or tried to insult, and also to my team-mates, and to the club, because they must really now be at a point where they’re like, ‘here we go again’.
“At what point do you go, ‘yeah, you can say sorry, mate, but just stop f***ing doing it?’ I guess this is the point, is it? I’m much better at that when it comes to a bit of chat or a bit of sledging. I’m usually better than just calling someone’s mum a whore.
“Usually, stuff like this is said. This is the norm. Now that may not be an excuse but is kind of a bit of a reason that you go, ‘well, it’s the norm, it’s normalised’.”
Discussing his wife’s reaction, Marler continued: “She turned round to me after and she was like, ‘f***ing hell, you’re an idiot, aren’t you? You’re just a moron’. I went, ‘what do you mean? I thought you’re meant to defend me’.
“And she went, ‘why am I defending you? That’s not even a funny attempt. It’s s***’. And I went, ‘yeah, you’re right, it is s***’.
“Then when I said, ‘apparently, his mum’s in hospital’, she went, ‘f***ing hell. You couldn’t even double down even worse’. She went, ‘why don’t you just stop doing it? Or, if you feel the need to do it, just don’t bring family members into it?’.
“You never know what’s going on in people’s lives and just because it doesn’t affect you on the pitch doesn’t mean it’s not going to affect other people. Just f***ing get on with it’. And I was sitting there like, ‘oh my God, that naughty schoolboy at the back of the thing’. And I went, ‘yeah, I know you’re right. You’re absolutely spot on’.”
Marler has form when it comes to controversy, and during the 2016 Six Nations was caught on the referee’s microphone calling Welsh prop Samson Lee, whose family are travellers, a ‘gypsy boy’. The incident resulted in Marler receiving a two-match ban and being ordered to donate £20,000 to an equality charity.
Years later, it transpired that the Welshman had challenged Marler to settle their differences in the boxing ring. Speaking on the Socially Distant Sports Bar podcast, Marler disclosed that he had filmed a farewell message for Lee following the Scarlets player’s retirement announcement, only for Lee to contact him directly with a surprising proposition.
“I had my incident with Gypsy-gate and Samson Lee,” the ex-Harlequins forward explained. “Someone asked me to do a retirement video for him at the Scarlets to send over to him, so I did.
“Then he got in touch just before the Autumn Series started and said ‘Alright butt, I hope you’re well. I hope things are all right. Are you interested in a charity boxing match?’ [This was] for his testimonial.”
Reflecting on the proposal, Marler shared: “I was like ‘I’m not sure. I don’t see how I win. Even if I do win, I’m not winning. You know, I’m not winning. I sort of cowardly didn’t reply for a while and then I got a nudge message from him. He said: ‘What do you think then butt, I think we can make f***ing mint’.
“I was like: ‘Err… I know it looks like I’ve retired already, but I am still playing, so I’ll probably put it on the backburner for now’. I’m just waiting for that message to come again, now that I’ve fully retired, to be like ‘right, shall we tango?'”