Junior Andre has candidly revealed that his childhood aspiration of becoming a professional footballer was abruptly halted by his mother, Katie Price, who he claims "crushed" his dreams with a blunt assessment of his abilities. The 20-year-old, who is the son of Katie Price and singer Peter Andre, shared this emotional recollection during a recent appearance on the Not My Bagg podcast.
Football Dreams Dashed by Maternal Verdict
Junior Andre explained that he harboured strong ambitions to pursue football professionally from a young age, actively participating in weekly matches and even attracting attention from several professional clubs. He detailed being scouted by Millwall and subsequently offered trials at both Brighton and Chelsea, experiences he described with enthusiasm. "I used to play every week and I loved it," he recounted. "When I was young I got scouted at Millwall, and I had a trial at Brighton and Chelsea, and I was loving it."
"You're Not Good Enough"
However, these aspirations were met with a stark reality check from his mother. Junior recalled a specific instance where Katie Price watched him play and delivered a frank opinion. "My mum crushed my dreams," he stated. "She watched me play once and she says, 'Junior, let’s be real, you’re not gonna be a footballer. You’re not good enough. Don’t worry, you’re gonna be an entertainer'."
Reflecting on his own skills, Junior conceded with humility that he may not have been destined for the top tiers of football. He admitted, "I was never actually really that good" and considered himself "just above average." Despite this self-assessment, the impact of his mother's words was profound, effectively steering him away from the sport.
Pivoting to Entertainment and Music
Heeding his mother's advice to become "an entertainer," Junior has since redirected his focus towards acting and music, following in the footsteps of his father, Peter Andre. He recently made his acting debut in the film "Finding My Voice," which also features his father and EastEnders star Michelle Ryan. Additionally, he has been actively working on his music career, with scenes of him recording songs featured in an episode of his sister Princess's reality TV show, "The Princess Diaries."
Balancing Work and Artistic Pursuits
In a revealing segment of the show, Junior discussed the practical challenges of funding his music career. He disclosed that he took on a full-time job with Transport For London, working night shifts on the London Underground to support himself financially while navigating "differences" with his record label. "It’s been hard," he explained. "I’ve obviously had to do nine-to-five, Monday to Friday. I found a night job basically just working on the London underground, grafting, lifting heavy metals, cutting, filing, painting. I got them jobs so I could do my music career, so I could fund it."
His sister Princess expressed immense pride in his dedication and resilience. "So proud of Junior," she said. "His last two singles went in at number one, but while he was sorting differences out with his label he went to work through the nights and work a full-time job so he was fully self-sufficient. Which I’m super proud of."
Family Bonds and Support for Harvey
The podcast episode also touched on family dynamics, particularly the siblings' relationship with their elder brother, Harvey Price. Harvey, who has Prader-Willi Syndrome, septo-optic dysplasia, and autism, has unfortunately been a target of online trolling. Junior and Princess emphasised that he is surrounded by love and support.
Princess shared plans for a family outing, saying, "Today is going to be quite a fun day, I'm going out with my two older brothers, Junior and Harvey. We're going to take Harvey on the train because he loves trains, so this is going to be a cute little day out - I feel like we don't do it enough."
Junior added a heartfelt note about the challenges Harvey faces. "Harvey is the best person so it's sad when people have horrible things to say," he said. "He gets so many abusive disgusting comments online. And he can't even defend himself. The good thing is he won't read it. But for those around him, it's not nice at all. He is surrounded by love, love is all he knows."
Representatives for Katie Price were contacted for comment regarding Junior's statements about his football dreams, but no response has been disclosed at this time.
