Matt
When Emma was at MTV, I’d meet her after work and we’d head out together in Camden, which I believe is where this photograph was taken. The T-shirt says Kick Out the Jams, and I probably got given it on a photoshoot. I had terrible acne that lasted well into my 30s, so I’d often wear makeup to cover it up. I was also obsessed with Placebo, so the eyeshadow is a nod to Brian Molko. My bandmates would look at me and say: “Matt, no. Tone it down.” But I loved it.
When this was taken I was drunk. Definitely. For a year, me and Emma were party pals. Drinking buddies … who did other stuff. The first time we met was on set for an MTV thing at the end of 2004. I knew exactly who she was as I’d seen her on TV and remember wondering: “Who is that?” When we were introduced I was nervous, terrified, but mostly excited to meet the hot girl from MTV.
The coolest thing that ever happened to me is that Emma pursued me. I was sitting in my dressing room backstage at Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway when Simon from Blue came in and handed me his phone. He said: “Mate this is for you.” I took the mobile and it was MTV presenter Tim Kash. He said: “Emma Griffiths is trying to get hold of you, can I give you her number?” I replied: “Uh, YES!” When I told the band, they suggested I play it cool. Even though I was desperate to get in touch, I waited three days.
On our first date we went for dinner in Maida Vale in central London. There were paparazzi outside, which had never happened to me before. We left the restaurant and went in different directions to try to throw them off the scent, but they caught us once we’d reconvened at the end of the road. The next day the headlines were: “Matt from Busted and a mystery brunette.” Which is funny, because now I’m known as “Emma Willis’s husband”!
Six months into our relationship, I went to rehab for the first time [Matt has been four times]. I was in trouble, with work especially. I was meant to be making a solo album, but I wasn’t turning up to the studio. To get everyone off my case, I thought I’d go to rehab, as I knew people were worried about my drinking. That’s the wrong reason to get help, and three weeks after leaving I was partying again. It didn’t change how I felt about Emma though. At the end of my time in rehab I couldn’t wait to come out to see her, even if I was a little scared that I had frightened her off. I still feel that way!
During 2020, Emma and I went to marriage counselling. We didn’t want to leave each other, we were just in a patch where we were going around in circles and needed to find a solution. Therapy was the best thing we’ve ever done. It changed the way we spoke to each other for the better. Marriage is all about knowing where you both are and supporting each other through it.
When I look at Emma, I still see the same quirky, crazy girl I met in Camden. We don’t go out as much – we live a boring existence centred around work and home. But I love that that’s my life. All I really care about is Emma and the kids. Sobriety comes first though. It’s the be-all and end-all for me. If I lose that, I lose everything else, and that’s not an option.
Emma
This image is very 00s Camden. I can’t tell what season it is because I was always in a little leather jacket and Matt was always in a T-shirt and waistcoat.
In 2006 we had just started to find a flow to our relationship. Neither of us expected to fall in love. At the start, there was just a lot of partying and working; lots of fun and music. We used to DJ together in student unions, which is funny because the only DJ skill I have is using the fade button.
The first time I laid eyes on Matt was on his wedding day. I was hosting Total Request Live and we did a segment where a fan pretended to get married to a member of Busted. My co-presenter Dave Berry was the master of ceremonies and I was the bridesmaid. I remember looking at Matt and thinking: “Underneath all that makeup is a really cute dude.”
Matt’s proposal to me was brilliant and hilarious. He took me to Venice for my birthday, but was acting odd the whole time. He kept taking me on walks down picturesque streets and over bridges, which was strange as Matt wasn’t much of a sightseer, unless the sight was a pub. I thought: “He is either going to propose or this is some fucked-up way of finishing with me.” I was trying to rub my hands over his pockets to see if there was a ring box, but he used to have an asthma pump with him all the time, so I thought it was an inhaler.
Then we ended up on the Rialto Bridge and he got super weird. He started staring at me, and as he was halfway down on one knee I grabbed him by the collar and said: “Don’t you fucking dare. Stand up right now.” I just felt a bit silly. It was too grownup for us. But it was funny and perfect, and I loved him, so I said yes.
Matt and I are always working on our marriage. The wedding isn’t the destination, it’s the lasting part that is. As we’ve gotten older and more mature and settled, we have realised that as long as we communicate, we can avoid sitting on resentments or creating the kind of environment that leads to getting divorced. I won’t allow that to happen to us – and I won’t let him do it either!
Matt is my jigsaw piece. He is an absolute nut bag; unpredictable and the most charismatic person I’ve ever met. He is as fit as you like and the most phenomenal dad, even if sometimes he is like the fourth child. I respect him more than anyone, and I would do anything I could to make him happy. He is also incredible at looking after me. I don’t think we are traditionally romantic; he knows not to get me flowers because I prefer cake.
Matt and I often ask: “How did we end up here?” I like the fact that it took a minute to grow and that it gets better with every year. Even when we have had to overcome things, we just do it, because it’s worth it no matter how big or small the effort is. We put in the graft. If you can navigate all the challenges we’ve faced, and still want to persevere, you know you’re on to a good thing.
When I met Matt, I thought it was a bit of fun. Now it’s 20 years and three kids later. It just goes to show, unless you give it a go, you never know.
