Matt Willis was found “passed out in the street” before being taken to rehab. The 42-year-old Busted star has been open about his battles with alcohol and drug use, which began when he was a teenager.

Throughout his life Matt says he would “get clean for a while” and then “start using again”. On his On The Mend podcast, Matt says it got to the point where he rang his drugs counsellor saying he doesn’t “want this anymore” and that he needs help.

He explained his tour manager booked him into a facility in Bournemouth. However he decided to “run” from the facility and get “absolutely wasted”.

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He explained: “I ran as far away from that place as I could and I found myself at a little cornershop around the street from the rehab and I bought as much booze as I could and I sat there and got absolutely wasted outside someone’s house.

“I drank probably eight cans of cider really quickly and I must have passed out and then I literally got woken up by this guy. This big bloke woke me up on the street and I’ve got this vague picture of him.”

Matt explains he told the man he was “meant to go to rehab” but wasn’t sure where it was. He continued: “He was like, ‘You’re looking for the Providence Project mate, I know where that is.’

“And he picked me up, and he put my arm around his shoulder and basically carried me to the door of The Provy. He had been there, he was a person who had been through the project and lived down the road.

“He took me there, dropped me off at the door, and I never saw him again. The reason I walked in that door is because he found me in the street and he took me there, it’s like a f*****g angel found me in the street and carried me there because he knew I needed to be there.”

Matt went on to explain that the clinic was closed when he arrived, fearing he had “fallen asleep all day”. He was however later checked in to the facility, and woke up fearful the following morning.

Matt, who had been to rehab twice before, admits it felt “very real” the third time. He admits he could “relate” to his fellow inhabitants because they weren’t “celebrities and investment bankers”.

Within three days he says he pledged “to do everything I’m told” and listen to the advice given. He admits his upcoming wedding to wife Emma inspired him to stick on the right track.

He added: “I got out of rehab on the morning of the Thursday and I got married on the Saturday morning. I turned up at my wedding day clean and sober.

“My drugs counsellor was at the wedding with me, he was just there as protection for me because I was scared. I lasted the whole day clean and sober but it wasn’t the greatest of days for me.”

Matt and Emma married at Rushton Hall in Northamptonshire on July 5, 2008. The couple now share children Isabella, Ace and Trixie together.

The bassist however admits a later setback left him fearing for the future of his marriage. Now clean and sober for eight years however, he credits Emma, 49, for her unwavering support.

Marking his milestone in August last year, he told fans in a heartfelt message: "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."