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Joe Marler has proven to be a great detective on this series of Celebrity Traitors, generating plenty of suspicion towards the likes of Jonathan Ross and Alan Carr. While his theories haven't been gaining much traction at the Roundtable, the star will be operating on a solo basis after his 'partner in crime', comedian Joe Wilkinson, was 'murdered' by the Traitors in the previous episode. The former rugby player isn't one of the contestants in line for being 'murdered' in the opening of Wednesday night's episode, so could he finally bring down a Traitor? Away from the screen, the 35-year-old is married to his wife Daisy, and the pair share four children: Pixie, Maggie, Felix, and Jasper. Joe, who has played for the English rugby team and the Harlequins, has also been incredibly open with his struggles with mental health, praising his family for helping him through some of the rougher moments of his life. Read on to find out all you need to know about the star… Joe's wife and children Joe married his wife, Daisy, in 2017, and the pair have since welcomed four children. The children's lives have mostly been kept private, with Daisy's social media feed locked, but it's known that their youngest child, Jasper, was born in June 2021. The Harlequins booked a private helicopter for the rugby ace to head to a game in Bristol after he stayed in Tonbridge for the birth of Jasper. The rugby club posted on social media: "Super Dad @joemarler17 wasn't going to miss the birth of his baby girl. Still made the game in style though. A special thanks to our friends at @tonbridgeuk and @n.b.r.f.c. #HappyFathersDay #COYQ." Although the rugby star retired in 2024, speaking in 2017 to FQ magazine, he revealed how Daisy helped him look after the children while also still taking part in the game. "My wife, Daisy, is very good at helping me balance the two," he told the publication. "Sometimes the team has double-days, and I need to get an early night, a decent shut eye. So she'll do the night shift with the kids." In 2022, Joe told talkSport how he had forgotten that he was a parent after sustaining a heavy concussion during a game. Appearing on the radio station to speak about the impact of heavy blows on players, Joe shared: "He [a staff member] said, 'What about the kids?' I went, 'Pardon?' [Then] I just paused and broke down. I had no recollection of having kids and it just really scared the life out of me." Joe's decision to retire from rugby in 2024 was partially down to his young family. While the former prop cited the emotional impact of the sport, he also wrote on social media: "I can't keep talking about my family being my priority unless they actually are. I want to keep it untarnished, all these memories of my career, both good and bad. I don’t want to leave my house with my kids crying. I’m ready to make the change." Mental health Joe has been incredibly open about his struggles with mental health, speaking out on his podcast, Joe Marler's Things People Do, and in various interviews. Speaking to The Guardian in 2020, he discussed how Daisy supported him, even though he admitted that he left his other half "crying". He candidly revealed that he had "smashed up" their kitchen following an argument in which his wife accused him of not swerving out of the way for a squirrel on the road. "I snapped. We got home and I just spiralled and lost control," he told the publication. "I turned over the kitchen, punched in one of the doors. Then I got in the truck and drove off. I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing. But it was a massive turning point because it was the most ashamed I've ever been. I didn't recognise who I was any more. After 30 minutes I came back because I was running out on everything good in my life. Although the incident left Daisy "crying", she told her husband she didn't feel "scared" of him, but was instead worried about his behaviour. Joe added: "I'd been worried about burdening Daisy because she's got enough [expletive] on her plate. Daisy was like: 'As if it's a burden! That's the whole point of us being together – to support each other.'" Joe disguised his mental health for years, often crying while he was alone on the way to practice. He started getting help after purposefully dropping a weight onto his hand, with a doctor correctly guessing that he had injured himself. The incident led to the star starting therapy and antidepressants after being diagnosed with severe depression. While Joe has admitted there's the possibility of slipping back into his depression, he also said he felt "better equipped" to deal with things if he did. The star joked: "I'm far more educated from both a biological and emotional point of view. I'm no mental health expert but I feel a lot better talking about it. Let's just talk about it more and, please, take the [expletive] out of me more. That will help me move forward." The star has since partnered with the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), and in a 2021 video for the charity, he encouraged men to be more open about their mental health. "The more I've spoken openly with my friends and family about my issues, the stronger I've felt," he said. "It's strong to be open and honest about how you feel, it's not a weakness. I was really excited about the prospect of this project helping people to understand that it's okay to struggle, it's okay not to be okay and that they're not alone in how they're feeling."
