Great Company with Jamie Laing

Traitors & England Rugby Star, JOE MARLER: Being An Alpha Male Came At A Price

Oct 21, 2025
Joe Marler, former England rugby prop and vibrant media personality, shares his journey through the highs and lows of rugby and mental health. He candidly addresses the challenges of toxic masculinity and his struggles with depression, revealing how he mistakenly thought quitting rugby would ease his pain. Joe credits his supportive wife Daisy for grounding him and discusses the empowering experience of filming Celebrity Traitors. This heartwarming conversation mixes humor and vulnerability, inspiring others to openly discuss their feelings.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

Meltdown Before Touring With England

  • Joe Marler described bawling his eyes out before an England training camp and telling Eddie Jones he couldn't go on tour.
  • Eddie saw it in his eyes and told him "eyes don't lie," prompting Joe to step away to recover.
INSIGHT

Why Men Hide Emotional Struggles

  • Men avoid sharing emotions because they fear burdening loved ones and losing status as 'strong' alphas.
  • That silence worsens problems; opening up preserves relationships and aids recovery.
ANECDOTE

Multiple Retirements Masked Deeper Struggle

  • Joe recounts retiring twice because he assumed rugby burnout caused his depression.
  • The problems persisted until he recognised he needed professional help after a 2018 meltdown.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app