A Venetian Proposal Gone Awry

In a candid revelation on the NewlyWeds podcast, hosted by Made in Chelsea stars Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo, Busted frontman Matt Willis shared the hilarious and “mortifying” details of his wedding proposal to TV presenter Emma Willis.

In the latest episode, Matt, 41, shared that he had planned an elaborate proposal during a trip to Venice, Italy, for Emma’s birthday, with the romantic setting of a Venetian restaurant in mind. However, his plans took a sudden turn when he overheard a group of English fans at a nearby table singing Busted songs.

Realizing the moment wasn’t quite right, Matt quickly improvised and led Emma to the iconic Rialto Bridge, the oldest bridge crossing the Grand Canal. Reflecting on the spontaneous change of plans, Matt said, “I was like, ‘Right, this isn’t going to work, so what do I do now?’”

Emma, 48, who co-hosts the new show Love Is Blind UK with her husband, described the evening as filled with nervous energy. “We had dinner, and he was acting really weird, twitchy even. I thought, if he's brought me here to break up, that’s really messed up.”

As they strolled through Venice, Emma’s suspicions grew. “I was trying to be an investigator, rubbing his leg to see if there was a ring in his pocket, but I thought it was just his asthma inhaler,” she said. Eventually, they arrived at the top of the Ponte di Rialto, where Matt’s demeanor became serious.

When Matt finally revealed the ring, Emma’s reaction was anything but conventional. “I grabbed him around the neck and said, 'Don’t you f***ing dare,'” Emma recalled, laughing at the memory. “But it wasn’t because I didn’t want him to propose—it was just so mortifyingly embarrassing with all those people around.”

The podcast episode also touched on Emma’s initial indifference to Busted’s music when they first met, though she now admits that the band’s songs have become an “integral part” of their relationship.