24 November 2023 , 16:22
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Singer Matt Willis’ has paid tribute to wife Emma for taking part in the TV documentary that charted his battle against addiction.
He said the response to the BBC programme was so positive that the rehab centre it featured was now booked solid for a whole year. The Busted star, 40, added that people struggling with addiction had been inspired by Emma’s support for him.
At first the 47-year-old broadcaster had been in two minds about the project. Matt said: "I kind of had to talk her into it, really." In the documentary Emma is seen going through a diary in which she documented her husband’s daily struggle with alcohol and drugs.
The Busted star said his wife Emma was key to the rehab documentary (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Matt said: "It’s a part [of addiction] that doesn’t get talked about – the effect it has on people around you." He added that after May’s broadcast "lots of people reached out about people they loved". He went on: "That was the thing I got the most, messages from loved ones saying 'Thank you for putting that bit in'. It was such an integral part to involve Emma in it."
Speaking at the Rolling Stone UK Awards at the Roundhouse in Camden, north London, the singer recalled: "After the documentary the treatment centre phoned me and said ‘We can’t fit anybody in for a year. It’s so busy’."
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Matt said people have since reached out to him thanking him for the documentary and Emma's role in it (BBC/Phil Sharp)Matt said he was confident he made the right decision to do the film. "When I saw the first edit I just went ‘What the f*** have I done? Oh my God, what have I done?’ But I knew why I was putting it out there so I had to stick to that and I was really happy with it."
Emma, mother to the couple’s three children, has said: "It was tough to relive that period in our lives but it was also incredibly cathartic to talk through those dark days. We’re all imperfect and we shouldn’t feel like we have to hide certain parts of ourselves to be loved.
"Ultimately it was our love and hard graft that have got us to where we are now."