Busted star Matt Willis has opened up about his teenage years and how he was taught not to cry or show ‘weakness.’
As a result, he wants to raise his own children differently and encourage them to be open about their emotions.
Matt, 39, is married to TV presenter Emma Willis, whom he wed back in 2008 after meeting in 2004 when she worked at MTV.
The sweet couple share three children: Isabelle, 13, Ace, 10, and Trixie Grace, six.
Matt – who soared to fame as 1/3 of the British boy band, along with James Bourne and Charlie Simpson – joined the Sweat, Snot & Tears podcast to reflect on his upbringing and his own approach to parenting.
During the chat, Matt spoke about how he and wife Emma, 46, strive to keep their kids off social media and out of the celebrity limelight.
‘Being a teenage boy for me was a really weird troublesome time and throughout my life I have made horrendous mistakes,’ he began.
‘I still f*** up all the time. But I learn from it and try not to do it again.’
The Year 3000 hitmaker continued: ‘I think I had so many backwards “forced upon me thoughts” about what it was like to be a man. And I was so wrong, they could not have been further from who I am. I held on to them for so long and they served me really badly.’
Matt went on to talk about male stereotypes regarding ‘strength and weaknesses’, stressing the importance of talking about these issues.
‘I don’t think you should confuse weakness with vulnerability. For me I thought there was never ever weakness. I was told boys don’t cry. I didn’t cry until I was 29. And when I did it opened up all the floodgates.
‘That was my era, but it didn’t serve me well as a human, as a father, as a as a husband, an actor. We build this scaffolding around us and it becomes what we are, but actually it’s not who we are. We need to break that scaffolding down and understand what it is to be a man in today’s world.’
Matt also revealed that he is currently writing a book aimed at teenage boys, which he hopes will inspire others to talk about their ‘mistakes’.
‘I wish I had a book like this when I was growing up,’ he admitted.
Following his success in the noughties boy band, Matt now has a career in acting, recently completing a run in Waitress The Musical.
He starred alongside former X Factor contestant Lucie Jones, Sandra Marvin and Evelyn Hoskins, and took on the role of Dr Pomatter.
The singer also gave Busted fans hope for a reunion earlier this year, when asked on ITV’s Lorraine whether he had any plans for the 20th anniversary of their formation.
Matt said they would likely do something to mark the milestone as it would ‘be a shame not to’.
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