Peter Andre has given a raw account of the emotional battles he has faced raising his daughter Princess Andre, citing her 'innocence' and his own strict upbringing as a Jehovah's Witness. The singer, 53, admitted he struggled when Princess, now 18, first started talking about boys, forcing him to rethink many of the values he was taught as a child.
A Father's Emotional Journey
Andre, who shares Princess and son Junior, 21, with ex-wife Katie Price, said Princess will always be 'my baby'. He revealed that while Princess is building an impressive career with her own reality show, he still sees the same 'innocent' teenager he has always known. '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,' he said.
The TV star, also father to Amelia, 12, Theo, nine, and Arabella, two, with wife Emily Andre, explained that becoming a father completely changed his perspective on the strict rules he grew up with, particularly regarding relationships.
Strict Upbringing and Changing Views
Growing up in a strict Jehovah's Witness household, Andre said there was 'no such thing as girlfriends and boyfriends', with relationships expected to lead directly to marriage. He recalled his initial reaction when Princess talked about boys: '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.'
Despite his initial struggles, Andre said he wanted his children to feel able to talk openly to him about relationships as they got older. He sat Junior and Princess down when they were 12 and 10, respectively, and told them: '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.' He recalled their surprised reaction: 'I remember they looked at me and were like, “Why are you telling us this?”'
Blended Family and Father's Day Plans
Andre 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. He also joked that his biggest source of embarrassment for his children is not his music career but his growing collection of 'dad jokes'.
Princess is currently so busy filming that she will likely sleep through much of Father's Day before the family celebrates together over dinner. Junior and his girlfriend Jasmine Orr are also expected to join the gathering.
Looking Ahead
Away from family life, Andre is preparing to mark 30 years since his hit 'Mysterious Girl' topped the charts. He admitted he has considered bringing back the famous shirtless look that helped make him a household name in the 1990s, but joked he is only 'six to eight weeks away' from getting his abs back and remains undecided about revisiting that era.
