Rylan welcomes Matt and Emma Willis to How to Be in Love for an emotional and light-hearted conversation about their 18-year relationship.
The episode explores everything from their awkward early days to parenting and personal growth.
Matt, best known as one-third of the band Busted, and Emma, a much-loved TV presenter and frequent co-host of Rylan, share the story of how they met while filming an MTV special where Emma played a bridesmaid and Matt played the groom.
“I called her the fit girl from MTV for quite a while,” Matt laughs. “And the girl on telly with the eyes.”
They open up about their real-life proposal in Venice, which Emma remembers as romantic but “a little bit messy,” reflecting their style perfectly. From the moment they fell in love to getting married and raising three children, the couple reflect on the moments that shaped their lives.
Rylan digs deeper, asking what he should be looking for in love. Matt replies, “I think they’ve got to be powerful,” while Emma adds, “You need someone who’s also going to be able to look after the man behind the mask”. The three share a heartfelt moment as Rylan admits, “Oh 100% yeah, the real me.”
The couple also speak candidly about Matt’s past struggles with addiction and how their bond helped them get through the darkest times.
Emma recalls being afraid to make their 2022 BBC documentary Fighting Addiction, but she knew Matt was fighting to get better.
“I knew he was unwell, but I also knew that he didn’t want to be unwell,” she says. Matt remembers, “My whole life revolved around drinking drugs… but Emma was drawing me towards something pure, which was love.”
Their deep love is also seen in parenthood. Emma describes the moment Matt held their daughter Isabelle for the first time: “It was pure selfless love, literally pouring from his face,” she says.
Despite ups and downs, both Matt and Emma say they never doubted their love. Emma says, “For me, [love is] the person that you’re willing to stay in the ring for.” Matt adds, “Without those tough times, we couldn’t be where we are now.”
The episode is released today, Wednesday 6 August, on BBC Sounds.
