In a new interview, Peter Andre has spoken about the vicious bullying he received when he was younger after moving to Australia from the UK.
The dad of four explained he was picked on because of his Greek Cypriot heritage and even because of his English accent, which eventually led to a breakdown. "I was bullied because of my nationality," Pete, who has just turned 49, told us. "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." Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter.
You can sign up at the top of the page. Even launching a music career gave the bullies something else to pick on him for. "Even when I started having success as a singer, I got picked on and people said, “Who do you think you are?” The Mysterious Girl singer turned to perfecting his body as a way of feeling more secure. "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," he explained. "Thankfully, I’m in a much better place now." Pete, who is married to doctor Emily and is father to kids Junior, 16, Princess, 14, Millie, eight, and five-year-old Theo, has launched a health app #itsfine, with nutritionist friend Ben Smith after getting sick of using restrictive diets to stay in shape. "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," he said.