Former England rugby star Joe Marler’s wife Daisy branded him an ‘idiot’ and ‘moron’ after he was suspended for some unsavoury sledging
Joe Marler angered his wife(Image: BBC)
Former England rugby ace Joe Marler left his wife Daisy fuming after he insulted an opponent during his playing days. The ex-Harlequins star, known for his controversial antics on and off the pitch, called the mother of a rival player a ‘w***e’, much to his wife’s dismay.
Before becoming a media favourite and featuring on the popular show Celebrity Traitors, 35-year-old Marler was a divisive figure in the rugby world. His outspoken personality often landed him in trouble with rugby officials, teammates, and, occasionally, even at home.
Now retired, the former prop is set to further his media career as he appears on the Christmas edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. As he becomes a more frequent face on mainstream television, he’ll be hoping to avoid any more verbal blunders.
However, he has ruled out appearances on Strictly Come Dancing and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
Marler will need to watch his words if he wants to maintain his public profile, especially considering this incident occurred as recently as 2022, just before his retirement last November.
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The host of the Things People Do podcast directed his inappropriate comment at the mother of Bristol Bears flanker Jake Heenan, who was battling cancer in hospital at the time – a fact unknown to Marler.
He received a six-week ban, with four weeks suspended, following the incident. After a stern reprimand, the 2017 British and Irish Lions star swiftly 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’.
Joe Marler takes on Jake Heenan(Image: Getty Images)
“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’.”
Speaking about his wife, Marler added: “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 a history of sparking controversy, notably during the 2016 Six Nations when he was caught on the referee’s microphone calling Welsh prop Samson Lee – whose family has traveller heritage – a ‘gypsy boy’. The incident resulted in Marler receiving a two-match ban and being ordered to donate £20,000 to an equality charity.
Joe Marler directed a ‘gypsy boy’ jibe at Wales rival Samson Lee(Image: Western Mail)
It later transpired that the Welshman had even challenged Marler to a boxing bout. Speaking on the Socially Distant Sports Bar podcast, Marler disclosed that he had filmed a retirement tribute for Lee when the Scarlets player stepped down, only for Lee to contact him directly with a surprising proposition.
“I had my incident with Gypsy-gate and Samson Lee,” the former Harlequins star 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 revealed: “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?'”.