Inside Matt Willis’ life from addiction to Scientology stint

Busted star Matt Willis will go head-to-head in culinary cook-offs in ITV’s Cooking with the Stars, hosted by none other than his wife Emma Willis and comedian Tom Allen. The 40-year-old is going to get busy in the kitchen with help from his chef mentor cookery author Shelina Permalloo, in a bid to beat his competitors, including Gavin and Stacey’s Joanna Page, Coronation Street’s Samia Longchambon and singer Peter Andre. He is best known as one-third of Busted, alongside James Bourne and The Masked Singer 2023 winner Charlie Simpson. The Year 3000 group originally formed in 2000, split up in 2005, got back together in 2015 and are now preparing to go on tour to mark its 20th anniversary. Willis auditioned for the Sylvia Young Theatre School when he was a teenager after he was spotted singing by a member of staff at a talent show on a holiday camp. Matt Willis’ life from addiction to Emma Willis marriage. (Image: GETTY) It was during his time at Sylvia Young’s that he met other future stars such as Amy Winehouse, McFly’s Tom Fletcher and Billie Piper. He went on to form Busted with friend James after open auditions, although the original line-up was the pair as well as Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle before they broke up and Charlie got involved. The success of the band getting a record deal in 2002 like Matt to get involved in drugs and excessive drinking and after Busted’s first split three years later, he went to rehab for alcoholism. Matt was spending time with his school friend Winehouse at the time with several stints in rehab and was still struggling with addiction in 2008 when he and Emma Griffiths were supposed to get married. Matt Willis was school friends with singer Amy Winehouse. (Image: GETTY) He went to rehab to get sober for the wedding but sadly relapsed again and previously opened about his short stint with the Church of Scientology. Willis says he left as he felt they were trying to split him and Emma up, calling her a “negative force”. Speaking to The Guardian, Willis said he doesn’t think he could ever make it up to his wife of 15 years but tries to “every day”. ‘When she notices something, I take it on board and listen, and I don’t argue”, he said. “I go: ‘You feel that way; that means that I am doing something, that’s not in your head.’ Matt Willis is reuniting with Busted for their 20th anniversary. (Image: GETTY) “Because I was the mastermind at gaslighting, making her think she was crazy. I’m so ashamed of that, and I never want her to feel like that again.’ The famous couple went on to have three children, Isabelle in 2009, Ace in 2011 and Trixie in 2016, with the family living in a luxurious £1.7 million home in Hertfordshire. Unfortunately, after eight years of sobriety, Willis relapsed again when he was offered cocaine while touring with the reunited Busted. Earlier this year, Willis was at the heart of the BBC documentary Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction which explored new researches, treatments and the impact its had on his family. Cooking with the Stars continues on Tuesday, July 4, at 9pm on ITV. Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.