Busted star Matt Willis has claimed that the Church of Scientology attempted to break up his marriage to wife Emma.
The musician said he joined the religious movement, which was started by L. Ron Hubbard, following a stint in rehab for drug and alcohol addiction.
He became “fully invested” in the infamous organisation, heading to its London headquarters every day – until, he claimed, they attempted to sever his relationship from The Voice presenter Emma.
The 37-year-old star said he was “a bit lost in the world” when he first stumbled across Scientology, and was approached on Tottenham Court Road by a representative.
Matt splashed out on Scientology courses and books, becoming entrenched in the controversial religion.
He told The Sun: “They buddied me up with a young guy who was very, very involved. […] We did some one-to-one work, all questions about my life – what’s going on, what’s holding me back and my potential back?”
He continued: “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’.
“And it’s like, ‘I think they’re trying to split my f***ing marriage up now’.”
Matt suggested the church tried to separate him from his family and friends, so that fellow Scientologists would eventually replace them.
(Image: Instagram)
“They didn’t want me to f***ing leave,” he added.
Matt and Emma have been married since 2008, when they wed at Rushton Hall in Northamptonshire, after dating for three years prior.
They have three children together – Isabelle, 11, Ace, nine, and Trixie, four.
The I’m a Celeb winner said they continued to harass him with phone calls after he began to have doubts and abandoned the risky path.
(Image: Craig Ross / SplashNews.com)
Drugs were a huge part of the reason he initially signed up, as the movement is notoriously anti-drug.
Founded by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard back in 1953. It has since been described as a cult by various sources, with the French government in particular classifying it as a “dangerous cult”.
It is infamous for recruiting high-profile celebs, including Hollywood actors Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Elisabeth Moss.
Scientologists undergo an ‘auditing’ process, which uses a so-called religious artefact called an E-meter, which detects ‘harmful energy’ within the body and picks up on ‘spiritually distressed’ areas.
(Image: GETTY)
Matt admitted he was an ‘idiot’, who got ‘hoodwinked’ by the organisation, and says he spent £290 on the initial courses – despite not knowing anything about the church before his impromptu induction.
But former Scientologists have admitted a basic package costs £2,900.
The church seemed like a lifeline for the Year 3000 singer, who had been suffering from addiction since he was a child.
He admitted he was just seven years old when he first “got high” using an asthma inhaler as a child.
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The bassist further said he became addicted to cannabis aged 13.
Later in life, Matt struggled with alcohol addiction, admitting on The Naked Professors podcast that “quitting drinking was one of the hardest tasks in my life.”
He has been to rehab more than three times, according to The Sun.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
