Peter Andre says more children aren’t ‘off the cards’ as he talks approaching 50

Peter Andre has stepped away from the mic to launch a very exciting new venture this week – a health app called #itsfine which explores a huge range of fitness and health tips and tricks.

The doting dad this week has also opened up exclusively to OK! VIP readers about life as a father-of-four, whether more kids are on the cards and why he's loving this era of his life. Sign-up or login below to read the full interview.

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When Peter Andre shot to fame in the 90s, he appeared to have it all – chart success, wealth and millions of adoring fans. But away from the spotlight, all was not well; he’d begun suffering from debilitating panic attacks – up to 20 of them a day, during the height of his Mysterious Girl fame – which he puts down to vicious bullying when he was a kid.

And by the time he reached his late twenties, he’d suffered a full-on breakdown.

He battled mental health problems for two decades, but Peter is now happier and healthier than ever. His forties are when he finally felt more accepting of himself, he says, and as he looks ahead to his 50th next year he’s excited rather than fearful.

And there’s plenty of reasons to be – the dad-of-four is happily married to wife of nearly seven years Emily and his career is going from strength to strength.

He’s now branched out into acting and producing, and at the end of last year he launched a new health app, #itsfine, with nutritionist friend Ben Smith. It aims to combat fad dieting, something he’s passionate about after years on strict but unsustainable diets.

Here, he sits down with us for a chat about health and body image, the secret to his happy marriage and being a proud dad to kids Junior, 16, Princess, 14, Millie, eight, and five-year-old Theo…

Hi, Pete! It sounds like life is going well for you right now. Are you in a better place mentally and physically?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. My forties have been amazing and I think that’s because I’ve realised what’s important. I care more about my family and us all being together, and although I’m still hungry for my work, I think 40 is when I found myself. I have finally become at peace with myself.

And you’ve just turned 49. How did you celebrate that?

Emily always organises something, but I told her not to go too OTT this year – just a family meal – because my 50th will be the big one and we’ll go away somewhere as a family and have a completely amazing holiday. I’d actually like to be in Australia with my mum and dad for my 50th.

It sounds like you’re already looking forward to the milestone…

I am. Turning 40 scared the hell out of me, but then it became the best decade of my life. So I honestly don’t care about being 50, and I have lots of plans for what I want to achieve.

So you won’t be slowing down then?

I always had this idea that I would semi-retire at 50, but I think what Covid taught me is that I’m not very good at doing nothing and there’s no way I’m ready to slow down. You see people like Jennifer Aniston who look great and have amazing careers still, so who says 50 is old?

You’ve just launched a health app, #itsfine. How did that come about?

It’s a lifestyle app to help people avoid fad dieting and it’s a lifestyle that has worked well for me over the past 10 years. The idea is that you can eat whatever you want but with one weekly calorie goal rather than daily calorie counting. We encourage you
to eat healthily, but we also say, “If you want a doughnut, have a doughnut.”

A diet with cake – sounds like a dream!

Over the space of a week, you can actually have a variety of foods – both the things that you love and also more healthy stuff. It’s still about calories in and calories out, and if you eat more calories than your body burns, you’re going to put on weight.

Have you learnt from dieting disasters?

One hundred per cent. In my twenties, I was really strict. I cut out fats and oils, and it was just carbs and protein. But I was getting sick all the time because I hardly had any body fat. Then in my thirties I was like, “I’m not doing this any more,” and I went the opposite way and put on about 3st. I thought, “There’s got to be a middle ground,” so I started living this lifestyle and that’s how the app came about with my friend Ben.

You’ve spoken about being bullied when you were younger. How did that affect your body image?

I was bullied because of my nationality. My family moved to the Gold Coast and at the time we were the only ethnic family there, so we stood out. I had an English accent, curly hair and a bigger nose than them. And people used to come up and circle me and want to fight. Even when I started having success as a singer, I got picked on and people said, “Who do you think you are?” Being in shape felt like a way to stay focused on my goals, but I ended up having a breakdown because the pressure was too much. Thankfully, I’m in a much better place now.

You and Emily have been married for seven years in July. What’s the secret?

I think it works because, fundamentally, we have the same morals and the same likes. But the key for us was that we were friends for two years first, and our families were friends, so we knew each other for two years before we even went out on a date.

Are you a romantic?

I think I used to be, but I’m probably a little less like that now. I’m better at humour, when things aren’t so soppy and gushy!

Junior is following you into music. How proud were you when he signed his recording contract?

I was 16 when I signed my first deal, because my dad wouldn’t let me sign it before I was 16. When I was taking Junior into the studio when he was 15 and he got offered the deal, I told him he wasn’t allowed to sign it until he was 16 either. So it was like history repeating itself. He’s releasing material in the spring and you’re going to love his sound – it’s very fresh and unexpected.

Were you worried, having been in that industry and experiencing insecurities?

Of course, there’s a lot of fear, because you get thrown into the lion’s den. But I’m hoping that with everything I’m telling him on a daily basis, he will be OK. We sit and we talk about things, and he knows I’m right next to him the whole time. It’s unbelievable how similar we are – like me, he wanted to be an actor but he also has a talent for songwriting.

And is your daughter Princess musical?

Yeah, she’s got a beautiful voice, but she’s only 14. So she goes into my studio and we muck around, and I’m encouraging her to start writing. But it’s early days. I’m letting her develop over the next couple of years, because you don’t want to just be a singer, you want to be a songwriter, too. That’s how you become successful.

How about your two younger children? Are there any signs that they will follow in your footsteps?

I’m not sure. They’re both sporty and quite intelligent. My son Theo has been saying that he wants to be like Mummy and be a doctor. Weirdly, he loves watching Dr Pimple Popper!

You have said that you don’t want to be changing nappies in your fifties. So does that mean it’s a no to more kids?

It’s so funny because it’s one of those things Emily and I stopped talking about for a while, because of Covid. Now, everything I planned to have done by 50 has been pushed back. So it’s not off the cards, but right now it’s not at the forefront of our minds. Emily’s working hard and I’ve got a lot coming up. So we’ll see what the future holds.

Visit itsfine.co.uk. The #itsfine app is available on all app stores. Follow on Instagram @say_itsfine

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