Peter Andre has set the records straight suggestions that a nervous breakdown in his twenties was caused by "casual sex".
The Mysterious Girl hitmaker, 50, sought psychiatric help after his life became a ‘blur of nightclubs and groupies’ when he was 25.
Yet Peter has now set the record straight on what caused his breakdown following an interview last week.
He said: "The interview was picked up by other media outlets, who changed the headline to say I’d had a breakdown because of casual sex and shirtless poses.
"I took to Instagram to make it clear that this isn’t actually what I said – I think a headline like that can change your perception of someone instantly.
"I know it won’t change anything, but at least people who follow me will know that isn’t what I said," he wrote in his OK! column.
When he was younger, Pete 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 with The Times, Pete said: “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.
Pete, who has been in showbusiness for over 30 years after landing a record deal at 16, has puts his own longevity down to niceness, hard work and his “amazing team”.
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.
