Emma Willis has revealed that friends opened up to her and husband Matt about their own struggles with addiction after his documentary about his life-long battle with substances was aired.
The television presenter, 47, has been married to Busted star and musician Matt, 40, since 2008. They share three children: Isabelle, 13, Ace, 11, and Trixie, seven.
Earlier this year, the musician was the face of documentary Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction which detailed his struggles with alcohol and drugs for the first time.
It also explored the nature of addiction, about whether it impacts certain people in particular and the devastating impact it can have on the people around addicts.
Speaking to the Standard, Willis said the response to the documentary – which has subsequently been nominated for a series of awards – was “unexpected”, revealing it highlighted to her how common issues with addiction can be.
Furthermore, Willis – known for presenting Big Brother, The Voice and Cooking with the Stars – said people close to the couple approached them after the BBC show was aired to confide in them their issues with addiction.
She said: “We were terrified watching it for the first time. But the response has been amazing. The amount of people that reached out to both of us – to share their stories and that is people we know and we had no idea about their situations. I think that is the biggest takeout from it.
“When you live with it [addiction] you don’t realise how vast it is. You think it doesn’t happen to everyone, [but] it is so common. Drugs, gambling, sex, shopping, social media. There are so many different ways to be addicted to different things. It [the response] was unexpected.”
Busted are currently on a 20th anniversary tour, with Emma Willis saying the pop-punk trio “[didn’t get] enough credit, back then [when they started in 2000]. “It is like they have come full circle and people are happy to admit now that they like them,” she added.
On Sunday, Big Brother launched on ITV for the first time in five years. Willis presented the show when it was on Channel 5 between 2013 and 2018.
The presenter said she was “happy” to see it return, adding: “I’m happy I have something to watch. I have Strictly and Big Brother, I am happy as a pig in shit. I love it and I missed it. It needed a break and I hope that people love it in the way that I have always loved it.”
Following reports she had reached out to new hosts AJ Adudu and Will Best, Willis said the pair didn’t need words of advice from her.
“AJ is my mate, and I see her all the time. I didn’t pick up the phone and say, ‘Let me give you some advice.’ I just said be yourself and love it. And Will is such a lovely bloke. They are really good mates, so they will be brilliant together.”
Willis was speaking about her partnership with Vodafone and the company’s campaign – Everyone Connected – an attempt to end the digital divide in the UK or help get people who are not online, connected. Vodafone aims to help four million people and businesses cross the digital divide by the end of 2025.
The presenter starred in a three-part YouTube mini-series, Disconnected, set to be released today (Tuesday) about the topic.
As part of the campaign, she spent a day without internet or devices, admitting the experience made her feel “cut off”.
“I was really shocked by it to be honest,” she said on the topic of the digital divide. “Vodafone are trying to help people on the wrong side of the digital divide.
“They have no connectivity, no devices, nothing… in a world that is dominated by being online now. We do take it for granted, those of us who have it.”
