Matt Willis has spoken openly about his drug addiction, claiming that he used to consume 6 grammes of cocaine every day.
The Busted hero, 39, is examining his battles with substance usage in the new BBC documentary Fighting Addiction, which also stars his wife Emma Willis, 47.
The artist originally went clean in 2008, the year he married Emma, but relapsed multiple times, including after their three children, Isabelle, Ace, and Trixie, were born.
Throughout the hour-long documentary, Matt reflects on his most recent relapse, which occurred five years ago on a reunion tour with his band Busted, the noughties pop band responsible for singles such as Year 3000.
He tells the show’s producers that he was offered a queue of the class A substance after the after-party following one of their sold-out gigs, which he took since he thought his addiction difficulties came from booze.
‘I was like, “Cocaine wasn’t a problem for me, alcohol was my downfall,” he explained.,
‘Within a month I was doing six grams, bang, bang, bang, bang, on my own every f**cking day and not coming home until 3am in the morning, pretending I was working on my album.
‘I wasn’t really writing I was making s**t music in the studio doing coke.
‘It was straight back to that shame cycle, the shame of relapse, the same of letting everyone down, the shame of using uncontrollably trying to stop and not being able to.’
Emma, fighting back tears, confesses that she was ‘flabbergasted’. ‘I didn’t anticipate it,’ Matt admitted of his recurrence. I believe it was because he had been doing so well for so long.
‘It was the last thing I thought.’
Matt has previously spoken about feeling ‘ashamed’ about being ‘the mastermind at gaslighting Emma, making her think she was crazy.’
‘I’m so ashamed of that,’ he confessed to The Guardian. ‘And I never want her to feel like that again.’
Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction will air on BBC One and iPlayer on Wednesday, 17 May at 9pm.
Worried about drugs?
Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
Adfam has local groups for families affected by drugs and alcohol and DrugFam offers phone and email support to people affected by other people’s drug or alcohol misuse.