JOE Marler has broken his silence on becoming the first celebrity Gladiator — and admitted he needs time to be ‘gladiator ready.’

is set to make his debut when the show returns for its fourth series in 2027.

GladiatorsJoe Marler has broken his silence on becoming the first celebrity Gladiator — and admitted he needs time to be ‘gladiator ready’ Credit: PA GladiatorsThe rugby player, 36, is set to make his debut when the show returns for its fourth series in 2027 Credit: PA

The Sun revealed last month how Joe – who starred on last year – .

And in a clever play on his name, he will be known to fans of the BBC show as Mauler.

Speaking of the new role, Joe told Love Sunday magazine : “My kids love it, particularly my youngest boy.

is shy and that when he did , they walked around the pitch together and he wouldn’t let go of his hand.

NINTCHDBPICT000935334162Joe explained that he grabbed the role as his son loved the show Credit: Instagram / @joemarler17 539452,TITLE:The Celebrity TraitorsJoe became a fan favourite during his time on Celebrity Traitors Credit: BBC RBS 6 Nations Championship Round 4, Twickenham, London, England - 11 Mar 2017Joe’s celebrity career has since gone from strength to strength, picking up appearances on shows like The Wheel and The Last Leg Credit: Rex Photo of a bearded man in a wrestling singlet, with arms crossed, against a dark red background.A possible AI illustration of what Joe might look like on the show

He continued: “We walked past Nitro and he says, ‘Daddy, it’s Nitro!’ He walked over like, ‘Hi, Nitro.’ And I’m like, ‘What? Who is this? You barely say hello to family members, but you’ve gone straight up to Nitro.’

“So when the call came in to say, ‘We’d like you to be a Gladiator if you fancy it,’ it was a definite yes.”

that he asked the show bosses if he could be the first Gladiator to wear baggry clothes but they told him that’s not really how they do Gladiators.

Joe revealed: “So, I’m going to need a little bit of time to get as close to Gladiator-ready as possible.”

A source said: “Everyone is so excited about Joe’s surprise stint.

“It goes without saying he’s got the size, strength and muscle power to cut it as a Gladiator, but he’s also got the cheeky personality to match.”

The news came after we told following his exit from the show .

as The Emperor and has already made a good impression with producers.

A source said: “Giant was one of the most popular Gladiators so bosses needed a big personality to take his place.

“They absolutely love Ahmad and think his show name The Emperor is iconic and will make a big impression with viewers.

“He is strong minded and brilliant at getting into character.”