Matt Willis reveals wife Emma was 'devastated' by his proposal (2024)

Matt Willis has revealed that his wife Emma was 'devastated' by his proposal after a disaster dinner in Venice was interrupted by a Busted fan.

The TV host, 48, and Busted singer, 41, began dating back in 2004, when he was at the height of fame with his band and she was presenting on MTV.

Emma and Matt have returned to screens in a joint venture as the hosts of Love Is Blind UK - and appeared on Monday's episode of Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo's NewlyWeds podcast.

During the podcast, Matt lifted the lid on how he proposed - and how he had planned to do so in Italy to avoid being surrounded with English punters or, more specifically, Busted fans.

Emma also revealed that despite being married to one of the three band members she was not a Busted fan - however her husband's talent swayed her.

The pair, who share three children, met while filming for MTV show Total Request Live where a fan got to marry a Busted member - and Emma was the bridesmaid.

But it was Matt and Emma who later hit it off and after two years of dating, the singer whisked her off to Venice to pop the question.

The proposal did not quite go to plan however, as Matt said: 'When I proposed, she was devastated. Deadly. Embarrassed, embarrassed, so embarrassed so we went to, I took her away to Venice for a birthday.

'I had organized this restaurant, which is really nice, and I was going to propose at the table in front of everyone. It's in Venice. No one will be English. Sit down and there's a table full of English people there. I hear someone singing a busted song at one point, and I'm like, Oh, this is gonna go terribly wrong.

'So then we had to walk around Venice like trying to find somewhere to propose. And that's not my vibe. I don't know where I'm going.'

Emma revealed that the chaos of the evening left her feeling like he was acting weird - and she couldn't decide if he was going to propose or end things with her.

'And I was like, this is really f***ed up, if he's bought me here to finish with me, do you know what I mean,' she said. 'I was like sh*t. And I thought it's either that which he's not that kind of person, so please God no, or he's gonna f**king propose.'

Unknowingly, Matt had walked to the famous Rialto Bridge and decided it was there he would ask the question.

Emma said: 'So we walked to the top of it, and he just, like, got all serious, and I'm like, Oh, what are you doing? Whipped out this box and he started to drop, and I just grabbed him around the neck. I went, don't you f***ing dare. Don't you f***ing dare.

'I think I said, go down there. Because I was like, oh, there's loads of people around and they're all gonna look at us and Oh, my God, How embarrassing. But not like, Oh, don't propose. Just like,oh, how mortifyingly embarrassing.'

The former Big Brother host also revealed that she wasn't always a big fan of her husband's band.

'I wasn't into them when I met him, but then when I met him, and I got to know him, and kind of saw him in action,' she said.

'It, I mean, he was just very, very good. And now those songs that I want, those songs that have been such like an integral part of the beginning of our relationship, because they were massive.

'Every time I hear them, kind of I've got such great memories from them, and I know every f**king word, and I am now the biggest busted fan.'

In the spirit of modern relationships, Matt and Emma admitted to starting couples therapy - and loving it.

Emma said: 'That was a big switch for us, actually, really, and we didn't go, we didn't go because we were in trouble, and we didn't go because we were like sh*t this is a sinking ship. We were like sh** there's a couple of sticking points here that we can't understand each other's viewpoints on. So let's get a third party to try and figure out why we can’t see where each other's coming on it.

'And it was, you know, one, one or the other things, right? And you sit down, you just like, F***, this is brilliant, yeah?'

Speaking to Women's Health UKearlier this month, Emma revealed she thinks she would have fallen for Matt 'sight unseen' if they had appeared on the show together.

Detailing why she first fell for her husband, Emma, who shares her children Isabelle, 13, Ace, 11, and 13, Trixie, seven, with Matt, described him as 'charismatic and funny and loving and a gorgeous human on the inside'.

When asked about how they would fare on the show, she said: 'I've been asked this question a lot recently and my answer was a very quick, firm 'yes, I would have', and he had to think about it, which was a worry!

'His personality just radiates out of him. So he would have definitely been at the top of my list… and then I saw him and he was well fit.'

Two decades later, Emma insisted that she still falls in love with him more everyday and is yet to find their relationship boring.

She said: 'He's home in every kind of sense of the word. Wherever he is that's where I want to be because he's just f***ing brilliant and he's my best mate, which I think can sometimes get lost in relationships...

'I am still in love with him, I still fancy him, he still makes me laugh and he still winds me up. It's not just going through the motions. I know it sounds really f***ing cheesy, but I honestly love him every day more...and we hate being away from each other more and more.

'It's really strange. It's just a feeling I feel really f***ing lucky to have because we've been together for a long time and it's still not boring.'

Revealing why she is excited over her new presenting job on Love Island Blind, she said: 'You actually get to talk to someone and feel someone's energy and the vibe...and hopefully – after you've spent so much time consistently dating them day and night – you meet them and you're just as happy with what you see as what you've got to know.'

Alongside the interview, Emma stunned in a series of glam looks as she posed for an accompanying photoshoot.

Emma looked incredible in a black bodysuit with sheer panelling across the chest, while her cropped brunette locks were worn in soft waves.

She also modelled a metallic silver sheer dress, which revealed her black lingerie underneath as she posed for sizzling snap.

Sporting a third look, Emma stunned in an asymmetric black dress with fringe detailing around the hem and gold accents.