Matt Willis insists fame isn’t to blame for his descent into drug and alcohol addiction… as star admits he began experimenting with substances when he was SEVEN
Matt Willis has admitted his descent into drug and alcohol addiction began many years before he found international stardom with pop band Busted.
The bassist became an idol to teenage girls across the world as a member of the group during their rise to prominence in the early 2000s, but by 2005 he had checked into London’s exclusive Priory – where he received treatment for alcoholism.
However Matt, now 35, insists the inevitable temptations that come with fame played little part in his addiction because he displayed the characteristics of a stereotypical addict when he was a child.
Opening up: Matt Willis has admitted his descent into drug and alcohol addiction began many years before he found international stardom with pop band Busted
Talking with presenter Matt Johnson and life coach Ben Bidwell in new mental health podcast The Naked Professors, the musician revealed he began experimenting with mind altering substances from the age of seven.
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‘I was in trouble before the band ended, I was a massive alcoholic,’ he explained. ‘I don’t think being in a band made me the way I am. I would have been the same if I worked in Tesco or a bank, I am an addict all the way through.’
He added: ‘Everything that takes me away from feeling the way I feel is a problem for me because I cannot deal with how I feel, so I will do anything possible to take that away and change the way I feel.
Old times: The bassist became an idol to teenage girls across the world as a member of the group during their rise to prominence in the early 2000s
‘I was mildly asthmatic as a kid and I used to hide under my duvet and take as many hits of my inhaler as I possibly could when I was about seven because it would make my head throb, make my lips tingle.
‘I’d be getting high in my bed at seven years old so I have always had this in me to find ways to get away from dealing with who I am and how I feel. Quitting drinking was one of the hardest tasks in my life.’
Reflecting in his early days in the band, Matt admitted he would occasionally use Class A stimulants, but only to sober him up during late nights out.
Messy: However Matt, now 35, insists the inevitable temptations that come with fame played little part in his addiction because he displayed the characteristics of a stereotypical addict when he was a child
‘I did cocaine a few times every now and then when I was drinking to keep me sober,’ he recalled. ‘We’d call it a sharpener, so I’d be a bit p****d, do a couple of lines and go, “Oh I’ll be alright”.
‘I hated it, hated everything about cocaine, hated the way it made me feel, hated everything about it but I couldn’t stop doing it which is madness.
‘It is my illness. You have this hole and you try and shovel everything in it to fill it but the hole is never ending.’
Old times: Matt enjoys a wild night out with wife Emma Willis in 2007. The musician reportedly entered rehab for a final time the following year following a marriage ultimatum
After spending time at the Priory Matt re-entered residential rehabilitation in July 2006 for an alleged addiction to cannabis.
Two years later the star spent five weeks at the Providence Project rehabilitation centre in Bournemouth following a reported marriage ultimatum from wife Emma Willis, with whom he raises three children. He has since remained alcohol and drug free.
Speaking in 2017 Matt publicly thanked Big Brother presenter Emma for helping him steer him through his lowest ebb during his years of active alcoholism.
Thank you: Speaking in 2017 Matt publicly thanked his wife for helping him steer him through his lowest ebb during his years of active alcoholism
‘She met me when I was a bit of a f*****g tearaway,’ he told The Sun. ‘We went snowboarding in 2005 and I think that was the first time she was like: “F*****g hell, this guy is out of control!”
‘Then by March I was in rehab. She’s f*****g amazing and stuck with me the whole time. I don’t know why. Of course, it was testing. There were times when we thought we couldn’t carry on any more.’
He added: ‘Unfortunately it was always down to me as it was always my s**t f*****g it up. I’m so thankful to her because she really helped me through that, and now life is great.’
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