Former Busted singer Matt Willis has revealed that his brief stint with Scientology almost put his marriage to Emma Willis at risk.
The couple first met in 2004 and began dating the following year, leading to their marriage in 2008.
Matt has been open about his journey with drug and alcohol addiction in a new documentary, Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction.
In the documentary, Emma spoke about how her husband's addiction had affected the family but said that she 'wasn't going anywhere'.
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However, the musician has revealed that an unexpected encounter with the Church of Scientology had once threatened to drive a wedge between them.
Sobriety is a huge challenge and can leave individuals undertaking it in a vulnerable position as they re-adjust to life, with Matt describing himself as 'a bit lost in the world' following rehab.
It was then that the singer says he was approached by a Scientology recruiter.
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Founded in the 1950's, Scientology is based on the beliefs of L Ron Hubbard, with celebrities like Tom Cruise famously linked to the church.
In an interview with the Sun, Matt said that he was 'fresh out of rehab' when he was first approached.
"I was walking down Tottenham Court Road and I got approached by a guy who asked me a few simple questions." he said.
"Before I knew it, the next week I arrived at the doors to the Scientology building. Every single day I went there. I bought different books and did different courses. I was in."
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Matt said he was 'buddied up' with a guy who was 'very, very involved' and went on to attend sessions at the Church for around three months.
"We did some one-to-one work, all questions about my life — what’s going on, what’s holding me back and holding my potential back?" he said.
“They were like, 'There’s someone in your life who’s actually draining you, who’s a negative force, and it’s normally the person closest to you'," he added. "And it’s like, 'I think they’re trying to split my f**king marriage up now'.
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“They were trying to force this weird opinion on me. When I look back at it, I was like, ‘Are you trying to separate me from everybody else?’
“Then you’re fully in because you’ve got no family or friends and your family and friends are the Church of Scientology."
After a 'big row', Matt said he 'never went back' to the organisation, and stopped picking up the phone to them.
Nonetheless, he says that he still gets the odd text from them, asking 'how are you doing', and only threw away his copy of Dianetics, the Scientology book by L Ron Hubbard, around two years ago.
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He also advised anyone interested in Scientology to stay away, calling it a 'very, very weird place'.
Topics: Emma Willis, Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, News
Kit Roberts