How Emma and Matt Willis overcame his cocaine dependancy to turn out to be TV’s new golden couple – and the large job she turned down as a result of she desires to work with him
Ever since Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langford’s dramatic departure from daytime television in 2021, TV executives have been on the hunt for a new powerhouse couple to take their place on the nation’s screens.
But who could fill the hollow on the sofa left by the pair whose double act ended with the collapse of their marriage this year?
The answer may lie with a couple who once would have laughed off the idea of being British TV’s new Mr and Mrs.
Step forward, Emma and Matt Willis.
They have already hosted a clutch of lucrative shows on ITV, Channel 4 and Netflix, where they front Love Is Blind, and are being touted by their agent as the next big thing.
An insider at talent agency YMU, which also represents Ant and Dec, and Davina McCall, said: ‘They have huge potential and are determined to make 2025 their biggest year yet.’
The firm is on the hunt for the perfect show for The Voice host Emma and 2006 I’m A Celebrity winner Matt, who have been married for 16 years and have three children. They want to find a vehicle that will give the Willises the kind of profile enjoyed by Eamonn and Ruth, or their predecessors on ITV’s This Morning, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan.
Emma and Matt Willis have already hosted a clutch of lucrative shows on ITV, Channel 4 and Netflix, where they front Love Is Blind (pictured), and are being touted as the next big thing
But while those two couples clambered their way to primetime TV after years of graft as journalists, the Willises’ journey has been less conventional.
Former model and party girl Emma, 48, got her first TV break in 2002 on music video channel MTV. Matt, meanwhile, was a guitarist in pop punk band Busted who has struggled with drug addiction, admitting to snorting six grams of cocaine a day during his darkest spell.
According to one TV insider: ‘Richard and Judy worked their way through Granada as journalists before being handed a primetime slot. And Eamonn and Ruth worked hard in regional television before they got to appear on national telly. Emma may have earned her spurs as a broadcaster over two decades. But many think she is now bringing her husband along for the ride, despite a discernible lack of talent.’
Emma and Matt met when she interviewed him in 2004. He was a 21-year-old pop star who wore heavy make-up to hide his acne, and was desperate to meet ‘the hot girl from MTV’, seven years his senior.
As their relationship blossomed, the pair were often seen falling out of North London’s pubs. ‘For a year, me and Emma were party pals. Drinking buddies… who did other stuff,’ Matt has said.
What Emma didn’t know at the time was that her boyfriend had been struggling with alcohol and drug addiction since finding fame at 19. Just six months into their relationship, he entered rehab. Three weeks after leaving, he was partying again. Yet despite the relapses, Emma stood by him.
Former model Emma and Busted guitarist Matt met when she interviewed him in 2004
Just six months into their relationship, Matt entered rehab. They are pictured outside London nightclub Movida in 2006
A year after winning I’m A Celebrity…, Matt proposed to Emma on her birthday during a weekend away in Venice. A star-studded ceremony followed, attended by the likes of Ms Willoughby and Jason Donovan, in July 2008. But while Emma beamed for the cameras, just three days earlier, Matt had begun rehab for the third time.
The couple went on to have three children, and for a while Emma must have hoped the new family had stamped out Matt’s addiction, but he relapsed once more in 2017 while on the Busted reunion tour. Their daughter Trixie was just ten months old.
According to Matt: ‘That last relapse was really hard for her, because we had three kids. I’d been eight years sober – we’d thought that it was behind us.’
It almost proved too much and the couple sought marriage counselling, which friends say has made them ‘stronger than ever’.
Speaking in a documentary, Emma said: ‘It’s very easy to look in on a situation that you’re not directly involved in and go, “F*** that, get out of that,” but when you’re in it, you have that history together… And if you love someone, you’re not going anywhere.
‘It’s not easy. Sometimes I feel I’ve got four kids instead of three. There’s been a lot of joy, but equally, it’s been incredibly heavy at times.’
According to a friend: ‘When you see them on TV together, you would never realise just how close they came to splitting up. All marriages have their ups and downs, but what Emma and Matt have been through is extraordinary.’
Indeed, some say the struggles mean they are seen as relatable by executives, who increasingly want them on their shows.
In 2021, Emma hosted ITV’s Cooking With The Stars with Matt as a contestant, and a space on Celebrity Gogglebox soon followed. This summer they signed up to Netflix’s Love Is Blind for a reported seven-figure salary. And this month they hosted a Channel 4 documentary Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones. They are said to be in talks about more C4 documentaries for 2025.
The couple are so determined to work together that Emma turned down the chance to replace Holly Willoughby full-time on This Morning
Insiders at their agency say there are also hopes that Matt, with his music background, may join the judging panel of The Voice, which Emma hosts.
In fact, I can reveal, the couple are so determined to work together that Emma turned down the chance to replace Holly full-time on This Morning, having joined the revolving carousel of part-time presenters following her abrupt departure last October.
ITV bosses were desperate to keep her, but a pal said she couldn’t bear to be away from her children Isabelle, 15, Ace, 13, and Trixie, eight: ‘She wants time with her family, and that’s why she’s taking every chance to work with Matt.’
Having been through so much, she is also said to be protective of her husband. A friend said: ‘Expect to see a lot more of them together on screen. They are acutely aware Matt’s last relapse was triggered by being alone and away from his family. Emma is keener than ever to work with him and keep him on the straight and narrow.’
