Matt and Emma Willis got married just three days after the Busted star left rehab, he has revealed.
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The TV presenters married in 2008 and share three children together, but Matt, 42, has admitted that their wedding day was blighted by his stint in rehab for drug and alcohol addiction, reflecting 'I shouldn't have been there really when I think about it.'
The musician has been open about his struggles to stay sober after being launched to fame at just 19 years old in Busted.
He entered rehab three times before he turned 25 - including just one month before he married Emma, 49, in 2008, after she issued him with an ultimatum about his substance abuse.
Speaking in an emotional episode of his podcast On The Mend, Matt explained how he spiralled into a booze and drugs binge when Emma was abroad filming a TV show weeks before their wedding.
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'That two weeks she was away, I was I was worse than I've ever been,' he admitted, explaining how his '24/7' drinking left him fearing he was 'going to die.'
Matt and Emma Willis got married just three days after the Busted star left rehab, he has revealed; pictured on their 2008 wedding day
Matt has admitted that for him their wedding day was blighted by his stint in rehab for drug and alcohol addiction, reflecting 'I shouldn't have been there really when I think about it'
Matt's drugs counsellor and his Busted tour manager got the star to a rehab centre in Bournemouth only for him to make a run for it as soon as he reached the door.
He ended up buying 'as much alcohol as I could' from a nearby shop, got 'absolutely wasted' and passed out in the street.
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It was a stranger who found him and physically carried him through the door of the rehab centre.
That proved to be a turning point for Matt who admitted 'I put my head down and I was like, "right, I'm going to do everything I'm told. I'm going to listen to advice. I'm going to take everything on".
'And I did that because I had a wedding coming up and I got out of that rehab on the Thursday and I got married on the Saturday morning.'
Matt explained how he turned up to marry Emma 'clean and sober,' with his drugs counsellor remaining by his side on the day.
'It was not the greatest of days for me. It was a weird thing getting married when you're scared,' he explained, adding that he managed to stay sober for the whole day despite paying for a free bar and sambuca wedding favours for his guests.
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'Everyone knew I'd just been out of rehab. Everyone knew what a mess I was. Like it had been quite apparent to everybody,' he said of his loved ones.
The Busted star entered rehab three times before he turned 25 - including just one month before he married Emma in 2008, after she issued him with an ultimatum
Speaking in an emotional episode of his podcast On The Mend, Matt explained how he spiralled into a booze and drugs binge when Emma was abroad filming weeks before their wedding
Matt explained how he turned up to marry Emma 'clean and sober,' with his drugs counsellor remaining by his side on the day
'I think they were surprised that I was there and that she was there.'
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'We were watching our wedding video not too long ago and I reckon everyone gave us six months. This will end up in disaster!'
'I shouldn't have been there really when I think about it. It was terrible, you know, to to come out of rehab and get married three days later.'
'But if I hadn't have done that, I would not have been at that day.'
'I would have not turned up or I would have let her [Emma] down in some way and it wouldn't have happened. So, I'm pleased that the events happened to get me there.'
'I wish I'd been a couple of months further down the line so I could have maybe enjoyed the day a bit more rather than gripping onto my chair for dear life.'
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The couple renewed their vows in 2018 to mark their tenth anniversary.
Matt said that the couple's wedding guests 'were surprised that I was there and that she was there'
Now sober for several years, Matt released his moving BBC documentary, Fighting Addiction in 2023, which won praise for its unflinching look at his relapse and recovery and the impact of his addiction on his family.
After remaining clean and sober for the early years of his marriage, Matt relapsed in 2017 while on the Busted reunion tour when his youngest daughter Trixie was just ten months old.
Speaking on his podcast in October, Matt discussed the process of making amends as part of his recovery, saying that the person who he owes the most to is Emma.
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He's previously shared some of the harsh realities from his addiction and the toll it took on his relationship with his wife, candidly admitting he would 'gaslight' Emma into thinking she was crazy during the height of his drug abuse.
During heavy binges, he revealed he even left notes saying he was 'sorry' to her when he was convinced he wouldn't wake up the next day.
'When you do step work, you write down all the bad things you've done and go and make amends,' he explained. 'The one person I need to make amends to the most is Emma. My wife saw me at my darkest and stuck by me.
The couple renewed their vows in 2018 to mark their tenth anniversary'; pictured
'What I think people would be surprised about is I didn't make a straightforward amends with her. I didn't go and say, "I'm sorry", because I don't know what I would say.
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'I don't know if there's enough words to do it justice and I didn't want to not do it justice.'
He continued: 'I was always like, when I feel like I'm in a good enough place, I'll do it. And when I feel like I'm ready, and I feel like she'll really appreciate it, I will do it.
'As time went on, I was like, actually, I think I'm doing it without having to go and say it. It's not because I'm wimping out... I think instead what I do is choose to be the man I am today for her.
'And I choose to turn up and I choose to keep promises that I give her. So I actually think I'm making amends to her every day.'
After remaining clean and sober for the early years of his marriage, Matt relapsed in 2017 while on the Busted reunion tour but was clean and sober for the vow renewal a year later
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Matt admitted that discussing his addiction with their children - Isabelle, 16, Ace, 13, and Trixie, nine - has been among the hardest parts of his recovery.
'At some point, they're like, "Why don't you have a drink? Nanny does, Mummy does occasionally," he said.
'When do you tell a kid you're an alcoholic? What do you say to that? It's kind of a weird thing for a kid to hear.'
He added: 'I've done it differently every time, but I think I've let them understand why I don't and why, if I did, it wouldn't be the same person that's speaking to you now.
'Something happens to me when I take a drink or I do drugs, I change... everything that's important in my life goes away. And the only thing that's important is that.
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'I don't want to be that guy ever again, especially for you, because I love you and I want to be the best version that I can for you.'
For confidential help and support with drugs, talk to FRANK on 0300 123 6600.
For issues relating to alcohol, contact Alcoholics Anonymous on 0800 9177 650.