Emma Willis Matt Willis Wedding: a 10 Step Countdown to Renewed Vows
The Emma Willis Matt Willis wedding reached its 10th anniversary in 2019. In turn, the ten years of wedded bliss cleared the way for something the couple had once agreed upon in 2008: a renewal of their wedding vows.
TV presenter Emma, 42, and musician/husband Matt Willis, 35, followed through in 2018 with a star-studded gala that was the talk of Britain. Featuring appearances by McFly and even a makeshift band for Matt himself, it was one of the most ballyhooed marital occasions for the decade’s final year.
Those 10 years have been marked by triumphs and obstacles for the beloved TV host and acclaimed musician. So to honour their 10 years of marriage, we count down 10 memorable moments in the lives of Matt and Emma Willis, one of Britain’s most celebrated celebrity couples.
10. Matt supports Emma between hosting gigs
With all the gigs and success Emma has wielded over the years, it’s often forgotten that Matt Willis has thrived in the public eye. For the time before they tied the knot in July 2008, that proved to be very helpful to the young couple.
After Emma was let go as an on-air presence by MTV in 2005, she spoke affectionately of how the lead singer for Busted came through for them as a young unmarried couple. As she told Cosmopolitan:
“In 2005, not long after I met Matt, MTV decided not to renew my contract…It meant that I didn’t have a job or any money. We lived together (in London) and he supported me because I had nothing. At one point I thought I was going to have to move home to Birmingham.”
As Matt took home Brit Award gongs and no. 1 singles that led to fairly sizable net worth, luck came around in 2008 for wife Emma. This came in the form of a presenting role on Big Brother’s Little Brother, a chance from which she’d never look back.
9. Emma runs down the waddling man under the makeup
A legitimate rock star in his own right, Matt’s on-stage appearance and glam certainly held Emma’s interest. In short, she says she could see right through the makeup (so much for the effects of a good concealer).
As MTV.co.uk reported in 2014:
“I met Matt when he was in Busted. I was working at MTV and I’d see him wearing baggy jeans, waddling around like a duck so they didn’t fall down.
“He used to wear makeup and have weird hairstyles. But I remember thinking underneath all that was a really cute guy… Nine years on, that fun has turned into a marriage and two kids, which is amazing because I never expected it for a second, and I don’t think he did.”
Seven years Matt’s senior, she was undeterred.
8. Matt overcomes addiction, redeems wedding photo horrors
Marriage is not about triumph and success alone. Rather, it is trials and tribulations; handling obstacles and overcoming impediments. So it was for Matt, who struggles with addiction through a pair of trips to rehabilitation for drug and alcohol. After they were married in 2008, though, he needed a third visit to clean up.
And as it turned out, cleaning up meant more than just getting off the booze. It also meant redemption (and wedding memories to savour) as he renewed his vows after their tenth wedding anniversary. Fact is, he couldn’t bear to hang on to his original wedding pictures, as Matt revealed to The Daily Mail.
“I was a massive, bloated wreck-head. A sweaty, chubby d*ckhead.
“I needed a good picture of me and Emma in that wedding dress, because she looks amazing. I looked terrible. I’ve burnt the others ones. I looked like a competition winner stood next to Emma Willis.”
7. Finding confidence on camera
George Carlin once said, “People don’t fall out of bed and begin vacuuming.” Likewise, the transition from one career to another isn’t as seamless as riding a bike comfortably for the first time.
To wit, Emma admits that she didn’t transition from modelling to being in front of the camera as easily as it would seem, judging by her capabilities today. She has spoken of the knocks she has taken along the way to gain familiarity and comfort in becoming one of Britain’s leading on-air presences.
Emma explained the difficulty with Cosmopolitan in 2014:
“I felt I’d got into TV by a fluke because I’d been a model, I looked alright and could string a sentence together.”
Emma explained further:
“I never believed they were 100 per cent behind me for my ability as a presenter. I lacked self-belief until I started doing Big Brother’s Little Brother.
She then added:
“I knew then it was something I could do for hours. I feel comfortable now and I’m glad it’s taken time. You want to be the slow-burner, not the firework that just explodes.
“I want this to be my job until I retire, because I don’t know what else I’d do.”
Clearly, she’s comfortable – for live telly and in other avenues as well. In addition to Big Brother and The Voice, Emma’s on-air duties include a self-backed reality series in which she tries her hand at transitioning into another career:
- As a radio host with Stephen Mulhern.
- As a trainee midwife in her own reality series.
6. Emma remained committed…to renewing their vows
The excitement that came with the preparation and celebration of their July 2008 wedding lost its lustre quickly for Emma. In fact, the bridal gowns were barely off, the male and female guests hadn’t said their goodbyes. They couldn’t even get past day one.
The comedown effect of the wedding being over proved overwhelming to the new bride, all but necessitating this year’s re-run at Rushton Hall in Northamptonshire in front of the likes of Stacey Solomon, Tom and Giovanna Fletcher and McFly.
As he told Christine Lampard on Lorraine:
“The day after we got married, Emma said to me she was devastated the wedding was over because she planned it for such a long time.
“She was really upset and she said we’re coming back here in 10 years time and we’re going to do it all again.”
Thus began Emma’s running countdown to renewing vows.
“Every year she’d be like nine years left, eight years left. And then last year she was like, ‘Right party time’. I was like, Oh we’re doing this. Alright cool’.”
5. Four No. 1s and Two Brit Awards
While it’s clear that Emma is the one in the limelight these days, mistaking this successful celebrity couple as a one-sided professional success would be a miscalculation. With Matt, it’s one to the tune of:
- A net worth nearing £20 million;
- Four British no. 1 singles;
- Two Brit Awards;
- Not to mention earning King of the Jungle honours in 2016.
As our own Lucy Cooper writes, Busted has reached that level of acclaim despite not releasing an album since 2016.
In addition to his on and off work with Busted and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Matt also collaborated with members of McFly on a side project called McBusted.
4. There’s a family to raise
Emma and Matt are busy, in more ways than one. In addition to feeding a family of three, they’re raising that family as well.
Which begs the question, where do they find the time for:
- Daughter Isabelle, 10
- Son Ace, 7
- Daughter Trixie Grace, 3
Recently in Ibiza, where the above Instagram video was taken, they had a holiday.
3. Hang on a tick…
Question: Did Matt really put down the looks of show contestants Emma might bump into backstage?
Answer: Kind of. But in so doing, he also dissed his own appearance at his own wedding. So…
Daily Feed Verdict: We’ll let it slide. It’s more of a self-own than a criticism. Fact is, he did see a need for redemption from his wedding pics (which, again, he felt motivated to throw out).
Your move, The Voice and Big Brother contestants.
2. Since the Emma Willis-Matt Willis wedding, they’ve worked their way around being busy
It happens with every tandem, especially this power couple: the struggle to procure date nights. But even Emma and Matt need to find ways around the maze that is careers, side gigs and kids to make quality time for themselves.
Even if the way to find that time is to literally block off chunks of time in their schedules.
‘She’d have to work [when] I’d be home so it was becoming progressively more difficult, so now we block out time.
Matt seems to think the concerted efforts have paid off for the health of their relationship.
‘The thing is even though we seem really busy, we both have big periods of time at home with the kids, we kind of prioritise that, we have a lot of weekends together now.’
1. Oh, yeah: that Emma Willis Matt Willis Wedding vow renewal thing
Didn’t think we’d actually get to it? Congrats for making it this far: Emma and Matt did.
There are a few more details worth sharing. Namely, that the star-studded July 2018 spectacle also included Rochelle and Marvin Humes. The service was conducted by none other than her radio partner Mulhern himself.
Most importantly, there’s no word yet on whether any “Nine years to go” hints about 2028 crept out of Emma’s mouth this year. But if there are, stay tuned.