Busted’s Matt Willis has been open about his road to recovery, following years of addiction struggles that left him fearing for his marriage to Emma Willis
Matt Willis has opened up about the “worst” period of his addiction struggles, which occurred while his wife Emma Willis was away. The Busted star has never shied away from discussing his on-off battles with drink and drugs, revealing that it took several attempts before he was able to overcome his addiction.
Reflecting on his “darkest” moment, the 42-year-old recalled passing out on the street and ultimately being taken to rehab by a complete stranger.
Speaking on his On The Mend podcast, Matt explained: “At this point in my life, I wanted to stop but I just couldn’t.
“I was trying different ways, I was trying different things to do and I just couldn’t get it. Emma was away, she was filming a show in Mexico I believe, she went away for two weeks.
“And our wedding was in about two months and that two weeks that she was away, I was the worst I’ve ever been. I was drinking 24/7,” he confessed.
Matt said that during this time he would lock himself away at home, only leaving to buy more supplies for his addiction.
“It was the darkest it’s ever been, there was nothing social about it, there was nothing glamorous about it,” the guitarist added.
While going through what he described as a “dark and horrible” chapter, Matt admitted he was “scared” he was going to die.
Out of fear one evening, he recalled reaching for his phone and contacting his drugs counsellor, begging for help.
He shared: “I was really scared and down and crying my eyes out and I said, ‘I don’t want this anymore, please help me’.
“He said, ‘I’ve got you and I’m going to send you to a place, you’re going to go there tomorrow’.”
The following day, Matt said his tour manager drove him to a rehab centre in Bournemouth. However, despite being given the perfect opportunity to turn his life around, the singer admitted he ran straight to the nearest off licence to buy alcohol.
After drinking several cans of cider, he was later found passed out on the street by a stranger. According to the Busted star, the man in question told him he had faced addiction struggles himself and had previously been through the same rehab programme Matt had fled.
“He picked me up and put my arm around his shoulder and he basically carried me to the door of [the rehab centre] and he had been there, he was an ex person that had been through the programme,” he recalled.
“He dropped me off at the door and I never saw him again, but the reason I walked through that door is because he took me there.”
Thankfully, Matt committed to professional help and was clean in time for his wedding to Emma in 2008.
While a later setback left him fearing for his marriage however, the couple stuck together and worked through it.
Alongside professional help, Matt has consistently praised his wife for her unwavering support and has previously credited becoming a father to three children as another major wake-up call.
Fast forward to today, and the singer has been clean and sober for eight years.
Marking his milestone in August last year, he told fans in a heartfelt message: “Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey so far. I’ve got some big plans for the next couple of years… let’s see how far we can go.”
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