Matt Willis’ emotional documentary about his battle with alcohol and drug addiction was praised by viewers as “brave, bold, honest TV” after it aired Wednesday night.
In the moving BBC film, titled Fighting Addiction, the Busted star talked about his battle with addiction and subsequent recovery.
Many viewers praised Matt’s wife Emma for standing by and offering her support during his battle with addiction, with one viewer labeling the documentary as “the most powerful thing they’ve seen in years.”
In the film, the host burst into tears as she shared the fear that Matt could relapse at any time, while revealing that she kept a daily diary of his drug use at the height of his addiction.
She also shared fears that Matt could relapse while touring with Busted, after it was announced the band will reunite for a series of concerts later this year.
Heartbreaking: Matt Willis’ emotional documentary about his battle with alcohol and drug addiction was praised by viewers as ‘brave, bold, honest TV’ after it aired Wednesday
Touching: Many viewers praised Matt’s wife Emma for standing by him and offering her support during his battle with addiction
The first scene of the documentary showed Emma opening the diary she kept in 2008, which detailed Matt’s daily alcohol and drug use.
One of the diary pages showed Emma writing that Matt was “completely p***ed.”
She told the cameras, “The only thing I could think of to keep was to keep a diary.
“I don’t think I’ve ever read it since I wrote it. It’s literally just notes of… what I knew he had consumed.
“A bottle of champagne, a few wines, a few wines … another bottle of champagne, and more.”
Emma also revealed that she would go to all the local pubs to look for Matt, but he would deliberately go places she was not familiar with.
She added, “I was so scared he was going to die,” while admitting that living with someone with an addiction was “unpredictable” and “anxiety-inducing.”
Later in the documentary, Emma admitted she was concerned Matt would relapse again if Busted went on tour later this year, after he did during their last reunion in 2016.
Insight: In the film, the presenter burst into tears as she shared the fear that Matt could relapse, while revealing that she kept a daily diary of his drug use
Insight: She also shared fears that Matt might relapse while touring with Busted, after it was announced the band will reunite for a series of concerts later this year
Speaking to the camera, she said, “Matt has always had issues, but they don’t really seem to come into play until he’s on tour.
“I know he doesn’t want to be that person, but will his brain fool him and go,” one more time, no one will know. That’s the concern.’
The singer, who was in his early 20s, said he couldn’t make it to lunch without drugs or alcohol.
Later, during the 2017 tour, he did “six grams (cocaine) on my own every day and didn’t come home until three in the morning” – a month after he started using the drug again.
The film was critically acclaimed by viewers on social media, with some praising Emma in particular for standing by Matt through his struggles.
One posted: “Raw. Honestly. So many wow moments and overall learning about addiction and associated medical facts and its impact.”
“What a sweet, sincere and strong couple,” another posted.
A third added: “Sad, uplifting, disturbing, inspiring. @EmmaWillis is a remarkable woman. And I really hope @mattwillis can stay sober with her undying love and help. They come across as a nice couple.’
One fan also tweeted, “Respect, strength and love to #emmawillis #mattwillis #fightingaddiction beautiful souls. This saves so many addicts in the same position. Thank you, great love.’
Importantly, the film was widely praised by viewers on social media, with some praising Emma in particular for standing by Matt through his struggles
Important: A viewer labeled the BBC documentary as ‘the most powerful thing they’ve seen in years’
Matt previously shared some of the harsh realities of his battle with drug addiction and the toll it took on his relationship with his wife.
The star candidly admitted that he would make Emma think she was crazy during the height of his addiction battle.
During heavy binges, Matt revealed that he even left notes saying he was “sorry” for his current wife when he was convinced he wouldn’t wake up the next day.
During an appearance on Wednesday’s Lorraine, Matt said he was worried about relapsing on the upcoming Busted tour after previously relapsing during the band’s last reunion in 2016.
He said: ‘I’m always a little worried about relapse, it’s a chronic relapsing addiction.
“I have certain things I do every day that I’m very, very picky about and I feel like I have to be. I felt quite selfish at times because it’s my number one priority. But without that, everything else falls to pieces.’
He added of bandmates James Bourne and Charlie Simpson, “Luckily the guys are great and love me and want me to be okay. And we have work to do, so it’s in everyone’s best interest that I don’t go down.
“I feel good about that now, everything is good with Busted now.”
Meanwhile, Busted has shown support for the rocker, but so has his wife Emma Willis, though Matt admitted she was reluctant to film the documentary.
He told Lorraine Kelly about his wife, “Emma did some talking to get involved in this because we’ve been kind of private with our lives and never really been open.
“I felt like that was such a powerful part, it was kind of like she went through everything with me and stayed with me through everything and a lot of people sometimes told her not to do that.
“But he saw something in me and she knew she could help and she did en masse.”