Peter Andre has given a raw account of the emotional battles he has faced raising daughter Princess Andre, admitting he struggled when she first started talking about boys due to his own strict upbringing. The singer, 53, said 18-year-old Princess will always be 'my baby', revealing he has had to rethink many of the values he was taught growing up in a strict Jehovah's Witness household.
Emotional Struggle with Princess's Growing Up
Peter explained that while Princess, who has her own reality show, is building an impressive career, he still sees the same 'innocent' teenager he has always known. He said: 'I love all my kids equally but there's an innocence about Princess that I love. She's 18 but to me she is a young 18. She's still my baby.'
Peter shares Princess and son Junior, 21, with ex-wife Katie Price, while he and wife Emily Andre are also parents to Amelia, 12, Theo, nine and Arabella, two. Speaking to The Sun, the TV star admitted becoming a father completely changed the way he viewed the strict rules he grew up with, particularly when it came to relationships.
Strict Upbringing and Changing Views
He revealed that hearing Princess talk about boys as a young teenager made him realise he did not want to raise his children with the same restrictions he experienced. Peter said: 'When my daughter talked about having a boyfriend and I would say, “No no, you’re going to become a nun” and stuff like that. Times have changed. But when Princess got to 14 and started talking to Emily about boys, it softened my heart because I saw the innocence in it. I remembered I was like that and I wasn’t allowed to have a girlfriend.'
He explained that, growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, there was 'no such thing as girlfriends and boyfriends', with relationships expected to lead directly to marriage. Despite his initial struggles on how to deal with his children dating, Peter says he wanted them to feel able to talk openly to him about relationships as they got older.
Open Communication with Children
He said: 'But by the time Junior got to 12 and Princess ten, I sat both of them down and said, “Guys, I don’t agree with all that, I want you to be happy. As you get into your teenage years, I want you to be able to talk to me about things”. I remember they looked at me and were like, “Why are you telling us this?”'
The TV star said he hopes Princess enjoys life, travels and has fun while she is still young, despite already juggling an increasingly busy career. Elsewhere, Peter spoke warmly about his blended family, saying all five of his children have grown up together and share a close bond. 'They just love each other so much. It's such a beautiful thing to see,' he said.
Father's Day Plans and Career Reflections
The proud father also joked that, despite his pop career spanning more than three decades, the biggest source of embarrassment for his children is not his music career but his ever-growing collection of 'dad jokes'. Peter also revealed Princess is currently so busy filming that she will probably sleep through much of Father's Day before the family celebrate together over dinner. The family are also expected to be joined by Junior and his girlfriend Jasmine Orr.
Away from family life, Peter is preparing to mark 30 years since Mysterious Girl topped the charts and admitted he has even considered bringing back the famous shirtless look that helped make him a household name in the 1990s. However, while he joked he is only 'six to eight weeks away' from getting his famous abs back, the singer admitted he is still undecided over whether revisiting that era is really the right move.
