Recovery is a process of change through which people improve their health and mental wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. Sadly, addiction does not discriminate against who it affects, and it’s impact can be felt by those around us that love us the most. In the case of Matt Willis, an ultimatum helped save his relationship with his wife and future children.
Family Was the Driving Force of Matt’s Sobriety
Matt Willis, a Busted member and pop star, had his addiction experience before he could find help and begin his recovery journey. The now-39-year-old singer and actor has been married to 45-year-old TV anchor Emma Willis for 13 years, and they have three children: Isabelle, 12, Ace, 9, and Trixie, 5. His wife, Emma, mentioned that the birth of their first child, Isabelle, influenced the decision to get help. Matt’s kid “truly transformed him and influenced his relationship with drugs and alcohol,” she expressed.
Although they have been married since 2008, Matt had some difficulties when they initially started dating in 2005. Three months into their relationship, Matt checked himself into rehab; three years and a clean slate later, he was sober. Matt revealed that he did rehab at the Providence Projects. He further expressed that he had been to three other private rehab centres, but Providence was perfect. He had a life-changing experience there.
He disclosed that he began experimenting at age 7. Willis stated on the mental health podcast “The Naked Professor” with hosts Matt Johnson and Ben Bidwell that he was mildly asthmatic as a child. He would hide under his duvet and take as many puffs of his inhaler as he could when he was seven years old because it would cause his head to throb and his lips to tingle. He would get high in his bed at the age of seven, so he had always had the desire to avoid dealing with who he was and how he felt. He noted that giving up alcohol was one of the most difficult challenges of his life. Matt explained that his addiction to alcohol and drugs stemmed from his inability to cope with his emotions.
Starlight and Pressure
Willis became a teen superstar in the early 2000s, with Busted having significant singles such as ‘Year 3000’ and another one called, ‘What I Go to School For,’ but by 2005, he had enrolled in rehab for substance abuse treatment. Before the band disbanded, he admitted things were gradually getting harder for him, having become an alcoholic. He does not believe being in a band made him the way he was. He expressed that he would have been the same if he had worked at Tesco or a bank.
Failed Attempts and Finding the Right Rehab
Willis, at age 21, checked into a famous London’s hospital for alcohol treatment in April 2005, where he remained for three weeks. Because he had been hooked on cannabis since he was 13, he was admitted for drug misuse treatment once more in July 2006 at the age of 23. However, after both stays, he relapsed.
The drug use eventually started having adverse effects on his body and mind, leading to him attending a rehabilitation facility called Providence Projects in Bournemouth in June 2008. He was already at 25. According to some reports, Willis’ breaking point occurred after spending the night out with Amy Winehouse, a close friend. Eventually, Willis completed the whole five-week alcohol and drug programme. Willis said he gave up the habit of smoking, which he’d had since he was 11 years old, in November 2007.
Since its founding in 1996, Providence Projects has grown to become a nationally recognised leader in substance abuse treatment. It’s little wonder so many individuals on the South Coast are looking for aid from the team, with their unparalleled success rates and a long list of satisfied former clients
Matt has always been honest about his struggles with addiction. While thinking back on his life as a father, Matt mentioned that he has always been honest with his kids about his history and the fact that he is unable to drink. Matt revealed that he would be exploring his history of alcohol and drug abuse openly in a forthcoming documentary with the BBC and that production is said to be getting on.
In a 2020 interview, his wife expressed that dating a musician was challenging, but it was even more challenging to “understand” Matt’s drug problems. While Matt finally became sober a year after they got married, Emma claims that the birth of their now-13-year-old daughter Isabelle was the turning point in his life. According to her, “He was already doing it [recovery] himself, then she arrived, and that made him even more determined.”
In a recent post on social media, Matt expressed that although he still struggles a lot at times. He knows he is not alone and is determined to look at how he and other people can learn to live with this.
Recovery Is Possible as Matt Leads by Example
Recovery from addiction takes more than just stopping using substances or engaging in destructive behaviours. While abstinence is often central to overcoming substance abuse, it is essential to remember that this alone is not sufficient for a full recovery. People’s physical, mental, and financial health, relationships, parenting skills, professional capabilities, and life trajectories can all undergo dramatic change and improvement through the addiction recovery process. But there are many lessons to be learnt in overcoming addiction and rebuilding one’s life. A dedicated rehabilitation centre is one with a vision to help people through their recovery journey.