Celebrity Traitors star Joe Marler to pocket huge fee as he's linked with major BBC job

The Celebrity Traitors' grand finale is upon us, with five famous faces still in the running to win a massive jackpot for their chosen charities.The stakes could not be higher ahead of Thursday night's final, with two 'Traitors' - Cat Burns and Alan Carr - still in the mix.

They stand to pocket all the money unless the remaining 'Faithfuls' - David Olusoga, Nick Mohammed and Joe Marler - can suss them out and banish them from the iconic castle. Last week's episode gave fans a glimmer of hope that the Faithfuls might triumph, with Marler identifying Burns and Carr as the remaining Traitors, and he must now try to rally Mohammed and Olusoga against them.

The former England rugby star has won over viewers during his time on the BBC show, thanks to his larger-than-life personality, candid nature and sharp intellect. His so-called 'big dog theory' - the notion that either Stephen Fry or Jonathan Ross would be selected as Traitors - led him to unmask Ross earlier in the series, resulting in the presenter being banished from the game.

Now, he's got his sights set on bagging at least some of the prize pot, which could reach up to £100,000. Regardless of the outcome of the final, he's reportedly set to pocket a hefty sum. According to reports, the 19 famous faces who starred in the first celebrity series were each paid a flat fee of £40,000 to take part, with journalist Marina Hyde revealing the amount on her podcast The Rest Is Entertainment in July.

"Although we haven't seen the celebrity iteration yet, we know it's going to be massive," she said. "Look at the calibre of the people they got. They were able to pay everybody a blanket £40,000 fee, right? They're paying them a £40,000 fee."

Following his emergence as the breakout star of the series, former Harlequins prop Marler has secured representation with talent agency M+C Saatchi, who already manage the likes of Freddie Flintoff, Jamie Redknapp and BBC presenter Helen Skelton.His success has also sparked speculation about him landing a new presenting role with the BBC, with a position on The One Show reportedly of interest to the former loosehead.

Marler has confessed that he never anticipated appearing on the show, never mind making it to the final as he described the experience as a "privilege". Having survived this long, he is now determined to "finish the job" and emerge victorious.

"I didn't think I'd get on the show, let alone make it to the final," he said. "It is a privilege to have made it this far. I've always been very competitive, I pretty much want to win at everything I play, whether that's rugby, Monopoly, or a kick around in the garden with my boys.

"Bombed out of a home World Cup in 2015, lost in the World Cup Final 2019, lost in the World Cup Semi Final 2023, I'm a serial loser! To finally win something would be lovely. "I'm proud that it was the big dog theory - that Joe Wilkinson and myself came up with - that resulted in the toppling of the first Traitor, Jonathan, and now I've just got to finish the job."

On the response he'd had to his stint on the show, the 35-year-old added: "My family and friends were nervous that I might end up ruining their favourite show with my awkward character, but the kids have been obsessed with it. [I've had] so many lovely messages from fans of the show, but my highlight would be getting a follow from Dawn French off the back of one of the memes on Instagram!"