Busted's Matt Willis reveals more about his fight against addiction for mental health awareness week

Musician, actor and dad of three Matt Willis appears to have it all.

He’s part of the hugely successful pop band Busted, has a flourishing acting career and has three kids with his loving wife, TV presenter Emma Willis.

But behind his success there is one thing that often dominates Matt’s thoughts: his addictions.

In this raw and honest documentary, shown to tie in with mental health awareness week, the 39-year-old looks at the potential reasons behind his addictions and speaks to other families, experts, counsellors and support groups to try and understand why some people become alcohol and drug dependent.

Looking back at some of his darkest days, Matt meets up with his brother, and together they revisit their childhood home in Molesey in Surrey, to see if the roots of his addictions can be found in their past.

He visits the rehab unit on the south coast of England that made a real difference to his recovery and where he spent four weeks in 2008 before coming out the day before his wedding, clean and sober.

He also joins in a meeting at the centre talking with current clients about their addiction and recovery experiences.

Next, Matt travels to Imperial College London, meeting a research team who are studying the differences between the brains of people in addiction and people who aren’t, and looking at treatments to help those on the long and often difficult road to recovery.

As well as his own personal journey, the film captures the unwavering support Matt has from his bandmates, friends and family – in particular his wife Emma.

Together, the couple travel to a leading charity in Glasgow which supports the relatives of addicts, and meet the children, parents and spouses of people who are struggling.

Matt’s exploration of his addictions in this film comes at a time when he and Busted are preparing for their reunion tour – it’s an environment which in the past has put him at risk of relapse.

So can he get himself to a place where he feels comfortable and confident going on tour, and remaining clean and sober?

Through looking into the various possible reasons for his addictions, as well as some of the methods available to help ease them, Matt hopes he can help himself and others find peace in their daily battle with addiction.

He says: “While I live an amazing life and I am hugely grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, when it comes to my mental health I still find myself battling with the ripple effects of my old addictions.

“I know I’m not alone and I’m determined to discover how others, like myself, can learn to live with this.”

As well as telling Matt’s story, the documentary also aims to open up conversations on what help is available to addicts, what the latest developments in treatment are and how underfunded treatment is.

“I was speaking to a guy recently and he was on a two-and-a-half-year waiting list,” Matt said in a recent interview with The Guardian.

“When someone has a problem with addiction, the time to act is now.”