Peter Andre has spoken emotionally about the challenge of watching his daughter Princess grow up, admitting he struggled when she first started talking about boys due to his strict upbringing. The 53-year-old singer said the 18-year-old will always be "my baby", revealing he has had to rethink many values he was taught growing up in a strict Jehovah's Witness household.
Peter explained that while Princess is building an impressive career, he still sees the same "innocent" teenager. He said: "I love all my kids equally but there's an innocence about Princess that I love. She's 18 but to me she is a young 18. She's still my baby." The TV star admitted becoming a father changed his view on the strict rules he grew up with, particularly regarding relationships.
He revealed that hearing Princess talk about boys made him realise he didn't want to raise his children with the same restrictions. Peter said: "When my daughter talked about having a boyfriend and I would say, 'No no, you’re going to become a nun'... But when Princess got to 14 and started talking to Emily about boys, it softened my heart because I saw the innocence in it."
Despite initial struggles, Peter said he wanted his children to feel able to talk openly about relationships. He sat down Junior and Princess when they were younger and told them: "I don’t agree with all that, I want you to be happy. As you get into your teenage years, I want you to be able to talk to me about things."
Peter spoke warmly about his blended family, saying all five children share a close bond. "They just love each other so much. It's such a beautiful thing to see," he said. The family will celebrate Father's Day with dinner, joined by Junior and his girlfriend Jasmine Orr. Peter also joked that his biggest source of embarrassment for his children is his collection of "dad jokes".
