Peter Andre says he regrets being “arrogant” when he was younger as he prepares to hit two big milestones next year – 30 years in showbiz and turning 50.
"30 years in showbusiness is a real achievement, I don’t take it for granted and am thankful,” the Australian star, who signed a record deal at 16 before releasing his first single age 20, tells The Standard.
On his significant birthday, Andre said: “I’m really happy with it, I’m such a different person now to what I was as a kid. Everything’s different, you just grow up.
“When you’re younger you think you know everything. I’d probably change the way I listened, sometimes I wasn’t a good listener. So, people would give me advice and I wouldn’t necessarily always take it.
“I was a little bit arrogant when I was younger and I wish I wasn’t, but I think it has brought me to a stage where I feel like I’m a good person, so I feel everything that happens in life, happens for a reason.”
For the big 5-0, he has it all planned: “I want to do a dinner for my closest friends and family absolutely, but I also want to go away with my immediate family somewhere in the world we haven’t been, I would love to do that!”
Throughout his life, keeping in shape has always been important to the dad-of-four and he embraces a flexitarian lifestyle, including ditching meat three days a week.
He has recently teamed up with plant-based meat champions Beyond Meat for their Beyond BBQ campaign, which Andre – who during our chat it’s clear loves a dad joke – is dubbing “Mysterious Grill,” after his hit song Mysterious Girl.
“It is the future of food! When you find something that tastes, has the same consistency and looks like animal meat, but isn’t, that’s a real game changer!
“The other day I was doing a barbecue at home and gave [my wife] Emily [MacDonagh] a burger from the Beyond Meat range. Now she is a very smart, highly intellectual woman and she could not tell the difference. She couldn’t believe it.”
“I work out generally five times a week. There are weeks here and there where I’m a bit slack but generally it’s five times a week.”
Of his diet, Andre says “I eat want I want, but it’s about balance”.
“I think more and more people are starting to realise that there are so many incredible flavours out there without having to eat animal meat. Now, I love animal meat but I also love plant-based foods.
The former I’m A Celebrity star shares children Amelia, eight, and Theo, five, with doctor MacDonagh. He is also proud dad to Junior, 16, and Princess, 14, with ex-wife Katie Price.
Not only has he got his kids embracing plant-based only days too, he says they are pretty handy in the kitchen.
“They all love cooking. Junior’s actually really good now. Princess loves it, but she’s messy man, it’s just carnage in the kitchen. The two younger ones are obsessed with baking and bake with Emily constantly.”
He will need to fuel up as not only has he recently made his West End debut in musical Grease, he will also soon be seen starring in his first movie.
Andre plays the dual role of Vince Fontaine and Teen Angel in the show which is currently playing at the Dominion Theatre in London.
While reviews have been mixed, he’s unfazed, enthusing: “We’re getting standing ovations, we’re having full house, it’s brilliant. And it’s early days! What a thing to tick off!”
And he’s extremely excited about being in a film too, which he’s hoping will hit screens later this year.
“The name is still a working title so when it’s time I’m going to not stop talking about it. It’s a comedy and I’ve got a really good part in it.”
