Peter Andre had a nervous breakdown at the age of just 25 at the height of his Nineties fame.
The Mysterious Girl hitmaker – who was as known for his famous six pack as he was for his songs – sought psychiatric help after his life became a ‘blur of nightclubs and groupies’.
Although he says he never touched drugs – as it would have broken his parents' hearts – he admitted having “a lot of casual sex”.
There was also a lot of shirtless posing and arrogance on his part, according to Peter – something he feels terrible about now.
His wild lifestyle led to Pete, now 50, suffering from brain fog and a host of other conditions, such as panic attacks, that he still suffers from to this day.
Pete also developed depression, anxiety, agoraphobia – a fear of going out – and even vertigo.
Peter then went first to his family home in Australia, before going into hiding in America.
He then spent six years in psychiatric units and on medication before making his big comeback on I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2004, where he met ex-wife Katie Price.
Recalling that time in his life in a new interview with The Times, Pete shared: “It was an insecurity thing, trying to prove a point because of the years that you weren’t accepted.
“I don’t like who I became when I was just going with girls and not caring. I just went off on a tangent.”
If he came across as arrogant in his youth, Pete says it was “just a self-defence mechanism” – though he thinks it might explain some of his popularity now.
He explained: “In the Nineties guys were thinking, ‘Are you looking at my girl?’ and all that. But now I’m not threatening in any sort of way, shape or form.”
Pete, who has been in showbusiness for over 30 years after landing a record deal at 16, puts his own longevity down to niceness, hard work and his “amazing team”.
He shared: “If you’re nice in this industry and you get on with people, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to fall. But when you’re trying to get up, a person’s going to reach out and help because of how you’ve been nice.”
The star, who recently played the Teen Angel/Vince Fontaine in the West End production of Grease, revealed he found this himself when he returned to the industry after a break.
He said: “It’s such a cliché to say it’s about being humble and nice. It’s just really nice that people have been so nice to me.”
Now Pete is preparing for the children he shares with Katie Price to follow in his footsteps as they both launch careers in the spotlight.
Son Junior Andre, 17, has embarked on a music career which saw his debut single Slide reach Number 1 in the iTunes chart.
While 15-year-old daughter Princess is banking on an influencer career and has reportedly already signed a deal with fashion brand PrettyLittleThing to promote their products.
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