Matt Willis' wedding day "wasn't the greatest day" for him
The Busted rocker married spouse Emma in 2008 just three days after he got out of rehab, where he had been receiving treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, and he has candidly admitted he "shouldn't have been there" because he'd have preferred to tie the knot when he was comfortable with his sobriety.
14 February 2026
He said on his On The Mend podcast: "It was not the greatest of days for me. It was a weird thing getting married when you're scared.
"Everyone knew I'd just been out of rehab. Everyone knew what a mess I was. Like it had been quite apparent to everybody.
"I think they were surprised that I was there and that she was there.
"We were watching our wedding video not too long ago and I reckon everyone gave us six months. This will end up in disaster!'
"I shouldn't have been there really when I think about it. It was terrible, you know, to to come out of rehab and get married three days later...
"I wish I'd been a couple of months further down the line so I could have maybe enjoyed the day a bit more rather than gripping onto my chair for dear life."
The 42-year-old star told how he spiralled into "24/7" drinking while Emma was filming a TV show overseas just weeks before their wedding and was left fearing he was "going to die".
He said: "That two weeks she was away, I was worse than I've ever been."
Matt's drugs counsellor and Busted's tour manager got him to a clinic in Bournemouth, only for the Year 3000 hitmaker - who has Isabelle, 16, Ace, 13, and Trixie, nine, with Emma - to flee as soon as he got to the door, going out to buy "as much alcohol" as possible from a nearby shop before getting "absolutely wasted" and passing out in the street.
He was found by a stranger, who physically carried him into the rehab centre, where Matt vowed to change.
He said: "I put my head down and I was like, 'Right, I'm going to do everything I'm told. I'm going to listen to advice. I'm going to take everything on.'
"And I did that because I had a wedding coming up and I got out of that rehab on the Thursday and I got married on the Saturday morning...
"If I hadn't have done that, I would not have been at that day.
"I would have not turned up or I would have let her [Emma] down in some way and it wouldn't have happened. So, I'm pleased that the events happened to get me there."
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