As Joe Marler joins Gladiators as Mauler, we take a look at the previous rugby players who’ve entered the arena of the hit TV show

Having become the surprise breakout star of The Celebrity Traitors last autumn, Joe Marler has just been confirmed for another of BBC One’s biggest shows.

But the former Harlequins and England prop won’t be following in the impeccably placed footsteps of Matt Dawson, Gavin Henson and Ugo Monye by strutting his stuff in the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom.

Instead, Marler will be (quite literally) throwing his weight around by entering the Gladiators arena as Mauler, the latest addition to the hit show’s line-up of elite athletes and bodybuilders.

The Beeb are hyping their new signing as the “first-ever Celebrity Gladiator”, and are surely hoping that Marler’s unique sense of humour will make him just as quotable as the show’s resident pantomime villain, Legend.

(Hungry Bear Media)

But, as a former rugby player, Marler is perfectly placed to excel in events like Powerball and The Ring, which rely on hard tackling, tactics and positioning as the Glads work to make sure contenders have a very bad day at the office.

Given the contact nature of some of the games, it’s no surprise that the show has long had rugby connections – in fact, it’s possibly a bigger surprise is that more former players haven’t swapped their rugby shirts for some bespoke Spandex. Here are the other players who’ve reinvented themselves on Gladiators.

The former rugby players who graced Gladiators…

Jeremy Guscott

(Mark Leech/Getty Images)

Okay, the former Bath, England and British & Irish Lions centre wasn’t an actual Gladiator, but he was a regular participant in the show’s original UK incarnation.

At the start of his media career (he was also a regular on ITV game show Body Heat), Guscott co-hosted two series of Gladiators alongside Ulrika Jonsson, replacing original presenter (and fellow ’90s sports star) John Fashanu.

Amazon (Dr Zoe Williams)

(Hoda Davaine/Getty Images)

The original Amazon was Olympic swimmer (and now member of the House of Lords) Sharron Davies, but Sky recycled the name for its short-lived ’00s reboot.

The alias was inherited by Zoe Williams, who – among other sports – had played rugby union to a high level in the North-East before entering the Gladiators arena.

She’s now an even more familiar face on TV screens – as well as being a practising GP, she’s made regular appearances on both the BBC’s Trust Me, I’m A Doctor and ITV’s This Morning.

Fury (Jodie Ounsley)

(Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Before she became Fury, one of the most popular Gladiators, Jodie Ounsley was better known for her exploits in a rugby shirt.

As well as representing England at Sevens, the former Sale Sharks player turned out for Exeter Chiefs in the English top-flight before retiring from the game at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Her sporting CV extends well beyond the rugby field, however, as a former British Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, and a multiple winner of the world coal-carrying championship.

She’s also a prominent advocate for the deaf community, having worn a cochlear implant since she was just 14 months old – she recently voiced an audiologist helping George with his new hearing aid in Peppa Pig.

Apollo (Alex Gray)

(Stu Forster/Getty Images)

An imposing 6’6”, the future Apollo went through the Newcastle Falcons academy and captained England at under-16, under-18 and under-20 levels, leading the latter to second place in the 2011 Junior World Championships.

The number 8 went on to have spells with London Irish and Yorkshire Carnegie, and had a stint in Sevens before deciding to have a crack at NFL – he joined the International Player Pathway programme several years before Louis Rees-Zammit followed a similar path.

Gray spent three years in the Atlanta Falcons practice squad before returning to England with Bath Rugby at the start of the 2020-21 season, this time as a wing. He left the club a year later.

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