Joe Marler has revealed that his appearance on Celebrity Traitors earned him a follow from actress Dawn French. The former England rugby union player, 35, is one of the five finalists on the BBC spin-off reality gameshow.
Speaking ahead of the finale on Thursday, Marler opened up about the 'lovely messages' he has received from fans, expressing surprise at one particular interaction online. 'My highlight would be getting a follow from Dawn French off the back of one of the memes on Instagram,' he said. 'I didn’t think I’d get on the show, let alone make it to the final. It is a privilege to have made it this far.'
French, 68, is best known for her comedy partnership with Jennifer Saunders and became a household name with their sketch show French and Saunders in 1987. She also played Geraldine in The Vicar of Dibley and starred in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The comedy duo featured in a Traitors sketch for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day in 2023.
The series, which began with 19 celebrities, has been whittled down to five finalists: Marler, singer Cat Burns, historian David Olusoga, and comedians Alan Carr and Nick Mohammad. Carr, selected as a traitor alongside Burns and presenter Jonathan Ross (who has since been banished), said it feels 'amazing' to be in the final. 'I think me and the entire nation didn’t believe I would get through the first roundtable, let alone be in the final five,' he added.
Other contestants included Olympic diver Tom Daley, singer Paloma Faith, actress Celia Imrie, and comedian Sir Stephen Fry. The Celebrity Traitors finale airs on 6 November at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
