The former I’m a Celeb champ admits he was ‘in a pretty bad place’
Bushtucker Trials, hammock slumbers and encounters with creepy crawlies are just a few of the challenges that the stars of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! have to face. However, one former champion has revealed that the real trials began after he left the jungle.
Matt Willis, presenter and co-founder of Busted, has voiced regret over his decision to take part in the show back in 2006. Despite being crowned king of the jungle in the sixth series of the ITV reality programme, Matt feels that the fallout from his victory intensified his battles with alcohol and drug addiction.
During an episode of his podcast, On The Mend, he confessed: “I was in a pretty bad place.” He detailed how his record company had declined to launch his solo album unless he boosted his public image, suggesting he join the cast of I’m A Celebrity, reports Wales Online.
Keen for his album to hit the shelves, Matt agreed: “The record company basically weren’t going to release my solo album… They said, ‘You’ve got to do something to raise your profile. Will you go on I’m A Celebrity?’ I went, ‘Yep, absolutely. Anything, please release my album.'”
However, following his time in the jungle, Matt discovered that people were more intrigued by his TV stint than his music. He lamented: “Once I came out of that show, I realised no one cared that I had a record out. Everywhere I went, they just wanted to talk about I’m A Celebrity. And it really bummed me out.”
The sudden spike in fame also proved difficult for Matt, who was grappling with addiction at the time. He remembered: “Before I went on that show, I was only really famous to Busted fans. Then I came out and everyone knew who I was.”
He added: “When you’re in active addiction – which I was at the time – and you just want to hide, that’s the worst thing that can happen. Suddenly there were paps everywhere I went. I’d get in a cab and the driver would say, ‘Hello Matt’. It was such a weird experience.”
Despite the lift to his career, Matt now views his choice to take part in the programme as an error. The pop star felt as though he had “lost [himself]” through the experience.
Matt admitted: “I realised I’d probably made a bit of a mistake going on that show. I should have been coming out feeling great because I won – but I didn’t. I felt like I won the show but lost myself. I’d become known for being a celebrity rather than for my music.”
In August 2025, the musician revealed he had been sober for eight years. He thanked his family, including his wife and fellow presenter Emma Willis, whom he married in 2008.
Matt shared: “This week I celebrated 8 years of sobriety. This one feels different. It marks the same length of time I had before my last relapse… and this time I know I’m in a completely different place. I try not to think too far ahead in life, but this milestone was one I wanted to reach. Recovery has to stay front and centre. It might seem selfish when I have a wife and three children, but without sobriety I lose all of that. What I’ve learned is that if I look after my recovery, my connection to a higher power, my health and my mental health, I actually have more of myself to give. It creates space to be a present husband and father, which is everything to me.”
He added: “I wouldn’t be here without some incredible people in my life. My wife. My partner in everything, the good and the bad. A good man who knows his coffee. A good man who loves sobriety (and golf). And all of you who listen to On The Mend and reach out to me here.”
Matt continued: “People sometimes ask if being so open about recovery affects me negatively. Honestly, it’s the opposite. In recovery we pass the message to those still struggling and in doing that, we remind ourselves how far we’ve come… and how close we are to going back if we forget.”
He ended his touching statement: “I don’t often say this, but today I’m really proud of who I am, and who I’m becoming. Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey so far. I’ve got some big plans for the next couple of years… let’s see how far we can go. Peace and love, Matt xx”.
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