I’m teaching my kids not to be the idiot I was, Peter Andre opens up on fatherhood, turning 50 and how he beat demons

WITH a showbiz career that’s spanned an incredible three decades, the irrepressible Peter Andre knows a thing or two about learning from your mistakes. 

Having previously admitted he spent his youth in a “blur of nightclubs and groupies”, the dad of four is now more concerned with setting a good example for his kids – Junior, 18, and Princess, 15, from his first marriage to Katie Price, plus Amelia, nine, and six-year-old Theo with wife Emily MacDonagh.

“I told Junior: ‘You need to be really respectful to whoever you date.’
“And he replied: ‘Well, have you always been?’ And I said: ‘No, I was an idiot. Many times. But I’m teaching you not to be that idiot,’” says Peter. 

“He knows that as a teenager and in my 20s I was arrogant and I partied like crazy. But he knows now the last place I’d ever go to is a nightclub – I’ve grown up.

“You can’t smoke a ciggy then say to your son: ‘Don’t ever smoke.’ I remember in the [I’m A Celeb!] jungle, I used to smoke – it was just a different me. I would never touch a cigarette now. So it’s trying to teach the kids that you’re not perfect, and to avoid making those same mistakes.”

It’s clear as day how devoted Peter is to his kids – the first thing on his Instagram bio is “Proud dad” – but he’s refreshingly candid about just how hard parenting can really be. 

“I’m sometimes stressed out,” he admits as chat turns to his children dating. 

“My rules are clear in my house,” he says. “I’d rather they were 16 [before they started dating], but I understand how it goes. 

“If you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, there’s no going upstairs. It’s downstairs with doors open. I know all the tricks. Unless you’ve been with someone for years, it’s not gonna happen.”

Raising a blended family isn’t always easy, and Peter admits he has infuriated Junior and Princess by being less strict with the younger two.

He’s also had to fight against his own ingrained double-standards with regards to his daughters, and credits Emily, 33, for helping him push through them. 

“It took a lot of convincing from Emily to make me realise I’ve got to get rid of that old-school mentality of treating the boy differently to the girl,” he says. 

“All your children are equal and need to be treated the same. You can’t make one rule for one and another for the other.

“When Princess was young, I used to joke all the time about her being a nun, but Emily told me: ‘Whatever rules you’re making for Junior at 15, you have to do the same for Princess’.”

Despite the seemingly ever-present risk of being cancelled nowadays, Peter doesn’t shy away from referencing that controversial TikTok clip of him on one of his old reality shows, reinforcing gender stereotypes with a much younger Junior.

He says: “I remember saying to Junior when he was around three years old that pink is for girls, blue is for boys; girls kiss boys, boys kiss girls. I thought it was correct, but then I realised that was wrong. I said to him: ‘I think the complete opposite now. Love is love whoever it is, as long as you respect each other.’ 

“Look at my old reality shows, I’m swearing, effing and blinding. I don’t talk like that now, but that’s a stage I went through. You have to learn from things and progress. I do not want to be the same person in my 50s that I was in my 20s. It’s about change.

“For example, a teacher who bullied me at school called me a very nasty racist word. I saw him years later and he said: ‘Mate, I’m so proud of you. I’m so sorry for what happened.’ 

“I gave him a hug. People probably think I should have told him where to go, but he’s not like that any more. He’s reflected and realised that he was an idiot. Why should I be upset at him?

“You’ve got to learn to forgive. People have said silly things to me in the past, but they don’t feel that way now, so why would I hold that against them?”

Earlier this year, Peter hit the big 5-0, although he says it wasn’t a huge celeb-filled celebration. 

“I was petrified,” he admits. “I remember all of my team saying: ‘Do you want to party?’ And I said: ‘No.’ It was a big thing for me turning 50, because it was two months before my 40th that I lost my brother [Andrew died in December 2012 after a 10-month battle with kidney cancer].

“From then, I’ve never really celebrated my birthday. Instead I took the whole family to Dubai for two weeks – me and Emily had a few days together first. The amount of birthday cakes I had out there!

“That was my party. We went on jet skis and boats, we went to beautiful restaurants. I couldn’t have asked for any more.”

Hitting the milestone has given Peter new focus when it comes to his career. 

“When I was turning 50, I rang my manager and said: ‘I want to do all these things on my bucket list.’ And she went: ‘Are you sure? You’re going to be the busiest you’ve ever been.’ I told her I didn’t care, and that I just had to do it. And she has made it all happen – I’m super-busy!”

Top of the list is making new music, after being inspired by his pal Gary Barlow.

“I want to pursue an album. I haven’t done one for nearly 10 years. Gary Barlow rang me during lockdown. He asked me to do one of his [Crooner Sessions] duets, which we did.

“Then we became close, we talked and he said: ‘Man, what are you doing? Get an album out!’ I said to him that I didn’t want to fail, and he was like: ‘What do you mean? You’ve succeeded! What’s failure?’ 

“I realised I’m celebrating 30 years. I’m 50 and I still gig all the time, all over the world, so I can just bring out new material. I don’t have to think of it as going to No.1.

“Gary gave me a little bit of a kick up the butt. He was like: ‘Get back in the studio.’ 

“We’ve written a few songs together. I want to get back to playing arenas again, and I believe I can do that.”

Peter’s bucket list also contained a children’s book (Super Space Kids! Save Planet Drizzlebottom is out now), more West End shows (he’s going back into Grease as Teen Angel), and something to do with his hero Michael Jackson (he performed at the Symphonic Jackson at London Palladium last month).

“We’ve already done so much,” he says. “It’s crazy. I look around and pinch myself. When I was 13 I said to my parents: ‘One day, I’m gonna make it in Australia. Then I’m gonna go back to England and sell out Wembley Arena.’ I did that 10 years later. I also said that I was going to get into films. Imagine that so young! They said: ‘Yeah, good luck.’

“But I did a short film a few years ago and even got nominated for Best Actor in a Short Film in North Hollywood Cinefest. Guess who won? Billy Zane! I was kinda cool with that.

“Then I’ve done a feature film called Jafaican, which is due to be released later this year – it’s a comedy that’s a bit like Cool Runnings. Also I’ve just done a Hallmark film with Caprice [Bourret] – that was hilarious. It’s a romcom.”

When pictures emerged last month of Peter holding Caprice’s hand, fans were panicking that the pair were having an affair. But Peter cannot stop laughing at the suggestion.

“I thought it was hilarious,” he says. “The actual scene was shot in this beautiful place in Ibiza, but it was quite public. There were people taking pictures, so I’m thinking that this is gonna be everywhere, but I didn’t quite realise at that time how it looked.

“When the picture came out, I thought: ‘Oh no, guys, this is a film.’ It was ridiculous. I didn’t think anyone would believe it – I’ve known Caprice for years. Of course, Emily wasn’t worried, as she knew I was filming.”

As well as ticking off his bucket list, Peter’s in peak physical condition – fit, lean and a picture of health. He puts this down to #ItsFine, his lifestyle programme of counting calories over a week so it’s less restrictive.

Having already launched a successful app with friend Ben Smith, the pair are now releasing their first book.

He explains: “It’s a book for people who want guidance. I’ve lived this lifestyle for 10 years and it’s all about balance. Ben Smith, the nutritionist I’ve done it with, has lost 11st!”

While most people always think of Peter as a ripped Adonis, there was a stage where he was stuck in a cycle of fad diets and bingeing in his 30s, which led to him piling on weight.

“I was bullied in my teens, so I used to go to the gym and do sit-ups and push-ups for 90 minutes three times a week. At 17, I had abs, but I became obsessed with them and with the scales. I would weigh myself three times a day, as I wanted to be 10st 12lb,” he says. 

“But then, in my 30s, I rebelled. I didn’t want anything to do with training. I ate everything I could get my hands on and put on 3st. I was a lot bigger and I wasn’t comfortable. I felt terrible, and if an event came up, I didn’t want to do it. 

“Then one photo came out that was a game-changer. I was on the beach and there was no one around, so I took my shirt off and ran into the sea. Then these pictures went around captioned: ‘Andre piles on the pounds.’

“I froze, because that’s the first time anyone had seen me like that. People were texting me to see if I was alright. It was the catalyst to try to sort it, but then it was fat, fad, fat, fad. I turned 40 and thought: ‘This needs to stop. There has to be a way to do both.’

“I started doing intermittent fasting. It’s worked and I keep fit and eat well, but I still have McDonald’s. I love food, I had a curry last night.

“I feel good. Am I as ripped as I was? No. You won’t see me walking around with my shirt off, but if I’m asked to do a calendar or something, I could get in shape to do it. I don’t have the fear now.”

Of course, one thing he didn’t mention on his bucket list is another child – does he have any desire to be a dad of five?

“I keep thinking I’m done, and then we keep having this chat… Emily is still young and I feel young. She always said she wanted three children. So I don’t know. Do I really have a say?” he laughs.

Whatever happens, Peter has no intention of putting his feet up. 

“I didn’t want to turn 50, but on my birthday Emily asked me how I felt and I said: ‘Honestly, I can actually start giving less s**ts about things I don’t need to give a s**t about.’ When you realise no one actually cares, it’s a beautiful moment. 

“I’m content. I’ve achieved pretty much everything I want to, but I’m hungry for life this year so I want to give it a push. I want a bit more. I’m not done yet, by any means.” 

• Peter Andre will appear in Grease at Dominion Theatre London from August.