He’s known as “the cheeky one” from the boyband Busted and is one half of a power couple with wife Emma, but this month fans will see a different side to Matt Willis with the release of his documentary, Fighting Addiction, which details his devastating dependency on drugs and alcohol from a young age.
Matt’s documentary shows the star’s struggle with addiction in the spotlight after rising to fame with Busted in the early 2000s, and how he still fears a relapse despite being five years sober.
Confessing to Closer, Matt, 39, reveals that although it was difficult making the documentary, it was a cathartic process and actually strengthened his relationship with his wife of nearly 15 years, Emma, 47 – who is often in tears talking about their past scandal-hit marriage.
When Closer asks Matt whether he felt Emma would leave him, he opens up, “Absolutely, many, many times. I was always surprised that she hasn’t, but she’s an absolutely unbelievable woman. I caused her so much pain and agony.”
He adds, “Making the show has been so beneficial for us. We didn’t really talk about certain aspects [at the time], because we were scared to. You don’t want to always be dredging up the past, but sometimes you have to deal with something to move forward. It’s been amazing for us as a couple and hopefully people will get something from that and open a dialogue [with their own loved ones].”
Matt and Emma’s wedding in 2008 came just three days after the Year 3000 hitmaker left rehab for the third time. His first stint came in 2005, his second in 2006 and his third in 2008, after his struggles with alcohol and drugs – in particular cocaine – became too much for the people around him and they forced him to seek help.
Matt – who won I’m A Celebrity! in 2006 – met Emma in 2004, while she was working as a TV presenter for MTV, and has said previously that he knew instantly that she was The One.
The pair went on to have three children, Isabelle, now 13, Ace, 11 – who Emma revealed in 2020 that they are raising gender neutrally – and Trixie, six, but at the beginning of their relationship, Matt was still deep into his addictions.
His documentary marks the first time former Big Brother presenter Emma has spoken publicly about his struggles, and she reveals that while she never pressured him to become sober, she had a diary in which she would make a note of what it was that he had consumed that day for fear that paramedics could need the information at any time.
With the making of the documentary, however, Emma has realised that she didn’t know half of what was going on.
Matt says, “With Emma specifically, we are a really strong couple because we’ve been through a lot of sh*t. It would have been much easier for her if we hadn’t, but I’m really happy in where I am now so I can’t really regret the past because that’s part of what makes you who you are.
“We’ve always been quite private as a family unit so this is a big opening behind the curtain. Also, you only get one hour, we’re not always miserable and crying, we have quite a fun life, it just happens to be quite an intense conversation.”
Matt now throws himself into health and fitness and lives happily with his family of five in their Hertfordshire home. He has previously opened up about how the birth of his eldest daughter was the start of his journey to becoming completely sober, saying, “I was a bit of a naughty boy, but nothing would stop me. Then I had a daughter and I was like, ‘See ya!’ – it was the biggest fork in the road for me.”
He adds, “In recovery, you have a chance to make amends to people… I’ve talked to Emma a little bit about it, but I choose to make amends daily by not being that guy, and every time my head hits the pillow and I haven’t done something outrageous that day, I feel like I’m kind of making amends, in a way.”
The documentary comes after Busted’s announcement that they are reuniting and heading on tour around the UK later this year. While the news fills Matt with excitement, his most recent relapse came in 2018 when he was offered a line of cocaine after coming off stage from a Busted performance, and so he’s putting multiple steps in place in order to prevent something similar happening this time, including taking his family along as much as possible.
He says, “While on tour, I’m going to travel a lot with my family… they’re going to come as much as they can. The kids are in school and the tour’s in September so it’s terrible timing, but that’s one thing I’m really excited about – travelling with them as much as possible, and it’ll be really exciting for them.”
To this day, Matt credits Emma with being the key to his recovery, saying that while he would have likely developed problems with alcohol and drugs whether or not he was famous, it’s Emma who has pulled him out of it.
He adds, “She saw something in me which I didn’t see in myself, and I’m forever grateful for her. We move forward together as a couple and that’s about making allowances and doing things, but I don’t want to drink and use today. There’s not a part of me that secretly goes, ‘I wish I could just have a glass’. I don’t want to anymore, but it took me a while to get to there.”
Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction airs 9pm, Wednesday 17 May, BBC ONE