Junior Andre has opened up on his tough first foray into the world of work. Before following in father Peter Andre's musical footsteps, Junior, now 21, took a job on the London Underground.
He was adamant he would pay his own way rather than rely on the bank of mum, Katie Price or dad, Peter. But he openly admits he "hated" it from the beginning.
Rough night shifts on the track
Junior revealed he got the rough jobs on his night shifts, including fixing wires and cables on the track. The star said he only put up with the "dark, dirty and sweaty" conditions because he "needed" the cash.
"My first-ever job. I did it because it was a good salary, because it was night shift – £20 an hour. I needed it," he told the Daily Mail.
But he said the dreary conditions wore him down. "I was depressed," he said. "Usually I'm happy, outgoing, bubbly. That just shut down," he went on.
Struggles and determination
"The hours were a killer. Trying to sustain a relationship was really hard, so I was like, 'I can't do nights any more.' I worked days for the rest of the year, for a company that recruits people onto the night shift."
He previously told the Mirror that his manual labour job was down to his dad Peter Andre.
"My dad was brought up very strict, so regardless of anything, he says, 'You've got to work, son.' As much as he's there for me, and my mum is there for me, I don't want handouts."
"I need to learn life the proper way. So when things got hard, instead of sitting there doing nothing, I was like, 'I need to do what I've got to do.' I threw myself in at the deep end, but I never gave up on my dream. It made me understand the value of money and grafting. People still say, 'You've never done a day's hard work in your life', and I'm like, 'I have!'”
Music and presenting ambitions
Junior released his first music track, titled Slide, in 2022. It reached the top of the UK iTunes chart. He has continued to make his way through the industry and still hold hopes of became a mainstay in the music world.
Speaking to the Sun last year he told fans to trust him because "it's coming hot". And he's also keen to make waves in the presenting world too.
Junior confirmed he has his his eyes on the prize of an ITV presenting role after appearing on his sister's reality TV series on the channel. He told the publication: "I kind of like pushing myself and pushing my limits and boundaries and trying new stuff as well. I'd love to host a couple of shows.
"Something like Love Island Aftersun, even me and Princess have spoke about that. That's something that we would probably want to do together. That'd be quite fun."
