AceShowbiz - Matt Willis is yearning for a dog. The Busted bassist has been asking wife Emma Willis - with whom he has Isabelle, 14, Ace, 12, and seven-year-old Trixie - about bringing a furry friend into their home for years and is confident that 2024 is the year he will finally persuade her to agree.

"I really want to get a pet dog. I've been talking about it for years! I want a little mate who I can take with me, like a little Italian Greyhound or something," he told BANG Showbiz.

Meanwhile, the "Year 3000" rocker thinks he and bandmates James Bourne and Charlie Simpson have a "better" relationship now because they have learned how to speak openly to one another.

He said, "We're better at everything now that we're older. I mean, back in the day, we never really talked about anything. If someone was annoyed about something, they just kept it in. That's very British."

Matt then said that after James moved to the US, the group became more "American," which he felt made them more open to discuss their opinions and thoughts. He continued, "But now, we're very American because James lives in America, so we're talking about our feelings. We don't shout, we just voice our feelings!"

James then chimed in and emphasised that Busted had become "very spiritual" and as a result, the trio have become closer than ever. He explained, "Everyone is spiritual. I think that we have become a bit more immune to all of the nonsense. We say things how they are and I just think it's better."

"I think the older you get, the less [you're bothered]. We are just really enjoying it. We just really love being in Busted and we have a great time, and then people like that which is great. They seem to love it, and we love it that they love it, so we're just enjoying it every day."