Former England rugby player Marler, who grew up in Heathfield in East Sussex, and boxing champion Tony Bellew have joined forces with fashion brand Jacamo and men’s suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club to shine a light on the pressures men face around masculinity and mental health.
The two sporting figures, renowned for their physical toughness, have launched Man vs Nature – an initiative challenging outdated ideas of masculinity and encouraging men to reconsider what strength means.
Marler comments: “Men are often told to be strong, keep it together and get on with things, but being strong doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine.
“I’ve spent a lot of my life around blokes who can push themselves to their physical limits but asking for help or admitting you’re struggling can feel like a completely different challenge.”
The campaign’s launch comes after Jacamo commissioned a new nationwide survey of 2,000 UK men aged 25–55 in September 2026.
94% of men aged 25–55 said they have experienced a “dark period” in life – a time when they felt overwhelmed, lost, isolated or were struggling beneath the surface – and 42% said they have lost a male friend, relative or colleague to suicide.
More than half of the men (55%) tell people they are “fine” when they are actually not, while 31% of those who have experienced a “dark period” say nobody in their life knew how much they were really struggling.
Furthermore, 78% have hidden their feelings because they felt expected to deal with things themselves, and 79% feel pressure to “man up” or behave in a traditionally masculine way.
Bellew comments: “There’s a lot of pressure on men to be tough, and in boxing you’re certainly taught to keep going when things get difficult.
“But life isn’t a fight you have to handle on your own. Sometimes the hardest thing you can do is tell someone you’re not alright. You don’t have to have all the answers; you just have to be willing to talk and accept vulnerability at times.”
When it comes to fatherhood, 44% of men said they usually hide how they feel in front of young people in their lives. Marler said: “I have four kids and I think it is important to show them when I might be struggling so they feel they can too.
“We need to make these conversations feel normal, because talking about how you’re feeling isn’t a weakness. It’s something every man or boy should feel comfortable doing.”
Bellew added: “Being a dad to four boys, I always say to them, ‘Do as I do, not as I say.’ Your children become what they see, so I try to lead by example.
“That means showing them that it’s OK to admit when you’re struggling, to talk about how you’re feeling and to ask for help when you need it. If we want the next generation of boys to grow up knowing that vulnerability isn’t weakness, then we’ve got to show them that ourselves.”
One in five men (20%) said they have used physical activity, extreme sports or gruelling outdoor exertion to avoid dealing with emotional stress or mental burnout, and Marler and Bellew took on such challenges before finishing with an open conversation about mental health.
Jacamo will donate £1 from every own-label sweats range - from hoodies, joggers and sweatshirts - sold between September and December 2026 to Andy’s Man Club.
The charity provides free, non-judgemental peer-to-peer support groups across the UK, both in person and online, every Monday at 7pm.
For more information on the Man vs Nature campaign, visit www.jacamo.co.uk/pages/man-v-nature.
For confidential advice and support contact Samaritans on freephone 116 123.
5. Eastbourne-born Joe Marler teams up with Tony Bellew, Jacamo and charity to tackle men's mental health stigma
Joe Marler and Tony Bellew have launched the Man vs Nature campaign in partnership with Jacamo and Andy's Man Club. Photo: Tari Chidavaenzi