Busted star Matt Willis has revealed Strictly presenter Emma warned she would not marry him if his addiction continued, as he opens up about fearing she wouldn’t walk down the aisle
Emma Willis warned husband Matt she wouldn’t marry him unless he kicked his addictions, the Busted star has revealed. The Strictly Come Dancing newcomer issued the ultimatum before their 2008 nuptials, as Matt battled drug and alcohol dependency.
Opening up about his reasons for seeking help, the musician admitted he feared Emma would leave him before walking down the aisle. Her ultimatum prompted him to go to rehab.
Speaking on the Joe Marler Will See You Now podcast, Matt was asked whether he pursued sobriety for himself or to preserve his relationship with Emma, reports the Express.
Matt, 43, said his motivation has “changed over time”. He explained: “I try to do it for her. The time before the last time I went to rehab, I went to rehab for her. Because I thought she was going to leave me.
“And so I tried to do it for her. And even the very last time I went to rehab, she told me she wouldn’t marry me if I kept on like this.”
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The couple, who have been together since 2004, married in 2008 and are parents to three children – Isabelle, 17, Ace, 14 and Trixie, 10.
Their lengthy marriage has not always been plain sailing. Busted star Matt’s widely publicised addiction battles put considerable pressure on their relationship, and he has checked into rehab multiple times.
While Emma initially helped motivate him to seek treatment, Matt said he ultimately realised he needed to change for himself.
He explained: “So there was a little bit of her in my decision-making to go, but I think ultimately, I wanted to, I didn’t want to be that guy anymore.
“And that’s really what changed. Every time I tried to do it for someone else, every time I tried to save something, it never worked because I was still in the equation. And I was ignoring that part.
“I was trying to look good for them, or do something for someone else. Then it was like, ‘I can’t do this anymore to me.’ Not because I cared about me, but I couldn’t bear doing this every day. I wanted to change for me.”
The father-of-three last checked into rehab 17 years ago and has been sober since 2016. He previously relapsed after being offered cocaine at a party following Busted’s reunion.
Emma stood by him throughout his struggles, and Matt believes sobriety has made him a better husband, father and colleague. He insists he never wants to “go back to being that guy”.
Emma is back on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday, October 17 from 6.15pm to 8.35pm on BBC One.
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