Matt and Emma Willis have let the cameras have a brief insight into their relationship for the first time. The couple will be seen in Busted singer Matt's documentary in which he opens up about his battle with addiction.
The film, Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction, airs on BBC One and looks back at some of Matt's "darkest days" as he explores what could be behind his, and other people's, addictions. He also speaks to experts and other addicts to better understand himself. The documentary will also delve into the impact it has had on his wife Emma, who appears close to tears in the film as she tells of her unease that he will relapse again, and their family.
Matt, 40, and TV presenter Emma, 47, met in 2004, Matt was still performing as one-thrid of pop-punk group Busted alongside Charlie Simpson and James Bourne, and Emma was busy working at MTV as a presenter and the pair were dating a year later.
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The pair began presenting together on MTV and went on to co-host I'm a Celebrity: Extra Camp, the Brit Awards for ITV2 in 2008 and the Baftas for E! Network. However, Matt spent some of this time visiting rehab for alcohol and drug addictions. Speaking to The Telegraph, Emma has opened up about her decision to stick by her beau.
“I wasn’t going to leave him because he had a problem. I wanted to help him, but he had to help himself and I believed he would,” she said. After spending three years in and out of rehab, the musician found sobriety in 2008.
The year before though, Matt took Emma to Venice for her birthday in 2007 and has previously shared how she was unnerved as her man "went all weird" and she thought he was going to dump her. However, he actually got down on one knee at busy tourist spot, the iconic Rialto Bridge, to which she said: "Don't you dare!"
Speaking to Keith Lemon on Shopping With Keith Lemon back in 2020, Emma said the reason for her reaction was because she "just felt a bit silly", but despite the initial hiccup, the couple went on to tie the knot at 15th century stately home Rushton Hall in Northamptonshire in 2008 in front of their friends, family and with celebs including Jason Donovan, Holly Willoughby and Ant McPartlin in attendance.
Despite it being a happy occasion, in his new documentary, Matt revealed how his struggle with drugs and alcohol left him find it difficult to enjoy the day, with the nuptials taking place just when Matt was just three days out of rehab. "It was a really big thing for me," he said in the film.
"Our wedding was three days out of rehab. I was gripping my chair for dear life. I didn't really have the time that people probably dream of on their wedding day so we got to renew our vows after 10 years.”
In addition to guests drinking champagne, they were also served shots of sambuca as their wedding favour, something Matt had organised and forgotten about before he went to rehab. "We also gave everybody a little shot of sambuca as their table thing,” grimaced Matt. "I was like, ‘Oh God I forgot about that.' I organised that one!" he added.
And for their first dance, the sweet pair chose the Beach Boys’ classic anthem God Only Knows, followed by Busted’s hit Crashed The Wedding for the guests to join in.
Fast-forward and the loved-up couple now share three children together and even decided to renew their wedding vows for their tenth anniversary in 2018 so they could celebrate once again with their nearest and dearest – including their kids Isabelle, 13, Ace, 11, and seven-year-old Trixie.
And over the years, Emma and Matt have been applauded by fans for challenging gender stereotypes in their parenting style. In 2020 the proud mum posted a snap of their son Ace rocking a pink crop top and sporting long blonde hair.
After an overwhelming response, Emma later said: "He's a very free and open-minded boy who is like, 'Why do I have to dress in green and blue and grey if I like pink and red and purple? Why is that not okay? There was some negativity but that's the beauty of the block button."
After becoming sober days before marrying Emma, eight years later before Busted reformed in the mid-2000s, Matt relapsed after he was offered cocaine at a party. The final relapse was most difficult for Emma, with Matt sharing: "That last relapse was really hard for her, because we had three kids. I'd been eight years sober – we'd thought that it was behind us."
Matt is now sober again, and in a chat with HELLO! he shared how he his children motivated him in his healthier life choices. "[Having children] changed me in so many ways, I can't really express it," he said. "It got me sober – I was struggling so much with drink and drugs for so many years. My wife is an unbelievable person, but I couldn't stay sober or clean for her.
"When I had [my first child] Isabelle, I realised I was going to be a terrible father and it hit me like a ton of bricks. That was what changed me. Everything was about me being a better person for her. That's why I do most things. Some things are for me, but I'd say 90 per cent of the things I do are so I can be a better father or a better husband."
And in the documentary, Emma shared how difficult her 'worry' Matt relapsing can be. In tears, Emma admitted she and Matt rarely talked about his issues before filming the BBC One documentary. She said: "You live in it so much when it happens that once you’re through it, it’s such a [bleeping] relief that you don’t want to go back and talk about it."
She added: "Living with someone with addiction is unpredictable and anxiety-inducing. I try not to think too much about the past. But then I have to remind myself that he’s relapsed massively when I thought he was all good."
And with the exciting news of Busted reuniting and going back on tour in September, during an appearance on The One Show, host Alex Jones asked Matt: "The last time you went on tour you relapsed, do you have that anxiety going into this one?" But Matt said that he wouldn't relapse whilst touring with his bandmates.
"Not right now. I learnt a lot from that last relapse, it took me and everyone by surprise," he admitted. "But I now have a real sturdy set of rules and regulations in place for me to keep me safe. At the end of the day I love those boys and they love me and we've got a job to do, so it's important that I keep on the straight and narrow. I want to put on the best show possible and I don't really have those thoughts of drink and drugs most days or really at all anymore, I'm in a much better place."
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