Celebrity Traitors' star shares 'uncomfortable' moment in BBC show confession

Celebrity Traitors star Joe Marler has offered a peek behind the scenes of the smash-hit BBC programme, confessing one particular aspect left him feeling "incredibly uncomfortable". The former England rugby union international swapped the pitch for a Scottish castle alongside fellow famous faces including Kate Garraway, Jonathan Ross and Clare Balding.

Despite earning nearly 100 caps for his nation throughout an illustrious career, he confessed to feeling "uncomfortable" when having to introduce himself to his Celebrity Traitors co-stars. Speaking on Jamie Laing's Great Company podcast, he admitted: "I felt incredibly uncomfortable doing it." Explaining the source of his unease, he described how his time in the rugby sphere had given him the impression that "rugby's massive" and "everyone knows about rugby", but the truth proved rather different upon entering the BBC programme, reports the Mirror.

Reflecting on the welcome he received when first joining the show, he recalled: "You go into a normal world and then they go: 'Oh, who are you then? What do you do?'" He continued: "And I go: 'I used to play rugby,' and they're like: 'oh right, League or Union or what sort of thing?'"

The programme has reportedly wrapped filming in May, with the final instalment scheduled to broadcast on Thursday, 6 November. Marler revealed his excitement at securing a spot on the programme.

He said: "It was one of the best experiences of my life. For a fan of the show, to watch it and then when I got the opportunity to go on it, I was like f*** yeah, like please do. And it didn't disappoint."

The fifth instalment of the latest series is scheduled to broadcast this evening, with the contest becoming increasingly intense.

Joe, alongside his co-stars, is keeping quiet about what's to come in the remaining episodes, with the celebrities reportedly given strict orders not to reveal anything before viewers witness the finale.

Joe earned 95 caps for England throughout his career, including featuring in the 2019 World Cup final.

The rugby player remained loyal to Harlequins throughout his club career, racking up more than 280 appearances and securing two Premiership titles.

Beyond the rugby field, he's published his autobiography Loose Head, Confessions of an (un)professional rugby player and launched his own podcast, Joe Marler's Things People Do.

He also appeared as a panellist on the BBC One game show, The Wheel, in 2021 and took part in the Christmas special of the programme.