Peter Andre hit the big time at the age of 16 and almost squandered his new-found wealth. Now he says he’s lucky he has a wife who wants him to spend LESS, not more…

Singer, songwriter and actor Peter André was born in Great Britain in 1973 and raised in Australia by Cypriot parents. In 1989, he hit the big time at the age of 16 when he won a AU$146,000 recording contract after appearing on the Australian talent show New Faces. Worldwide tours and a string of number one singles and albums followed, including Gimme Little Sign and Mysterious Girl.

In 2004 Peter appeared on I’m a celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, where he met his future wife, Katie Price. His success on the show brought a legion of new fans and took a reissued Mysterious Girl to the top of the UK charts.

Peter, 51, has two children, Junior, 19, and Princess, 17, with ex-wife Katie and now lives in Surrey with second wife Dr. Emily MacDonagh and their three children Amelia, ten, Theo, eight, and Arabella, seven months.

What did your parents teach you about money?

I was raised by grafters, with my father, Savvas, a hairdresser before I started in real estate development, and my mother, Thea, a full-time tailor with six children. When I signed my first record deal and money was coming in, I remember my dad warning me that it might dry up one day, so invest, invest, invest. Of course, as a teenager you don’t think about investing, but about partying.

My father oversaw my finances at the time and, unbeknownst to me, had invested my royalties in real estate for me. I was so grateful because there came a point where I used up all my money and told him.

Then he revealed that I owned three properties at the time. That was the best lesson of my life. From then on, I tried to live a simpler life and have been an avid real estate investor ever since.

I am a very strict parent and I have told my children that they have to vaccinate if they want to get ahead in life.

Ever been paid crap?

Very often when I have done private performances. The interesting thing is that even when I was flown to parties in Europe, I never asked how much I was getting. I always wanted to do the work. However, when I did bother to ask my management, I was invariably pleasantly surprised at how much I got.

Which year do you think was the best of your financial life?

Having continually invested in property – both here in the UK and in Cyprus – I think each year is better than the last.

The most expensive thing you bought for fun?

I’m really ashamed to say this, but I went through a really crazy period of buying flashy cars. I remember buying a Ferrari and a few months later going to the showroom to buy a Lamborghini – and even the salesman tried to warn me.

Now I’m here with my electric family car. I love cars though, so I wouldn’t rule out buying another monster, but the days of sitting there revving the engine are over. I’m ashamed to think of that.

What was your biggest money mistake?

I’ve done a lot, but the biggest was probably flying first class friends and wasting so much on crazy stuff – from clothes to cars. Don’t get me wrong, I still spend more than necessary sometimes.

When we fly to Australia I want to go business class, but Emily insists on economy because you land at the same time regardless of your seat, but you just spent a lot of extra money. So we have little arguments, where I admit she’s absolutely right, but I want to travel business class for the comfort of our family.

Sometimes I win, but most of the time Emily has the upper hand. How lucky am I to have a woman who pushes me to spend less instead of more?

The best money decision you’ve made?

My dad really wanted to buy this little beach resort near Brisbane, and he wanted me to invest in it so I wouldn’t waste the money I made on something stupid. Anyway, I put quite a bit of money into this resort and we had people running it for a while.

But when they left while I was on a world tour, the poor mom and dad had to retire to make it happen. My family all went back to help for a while, but we couldn’t keep it going and we ended up selling.

We didn’t lose or win any money, so it may not sound like a financial victory, but I got to go into business with my dad and that’s why it was so special.

Do you have property?

We live in Surrey and also have a five-bedroom villa in Larnaca, Cyprus, which we mostly rent out, but where we go every year for a family holiday.

I also have other properties in Australia, Cyprus and in the UK that I rent out.

I buy real estate as an investment, but I never sell it, and I wouldn’t unless I had to. The only time I would be willing to sell would be if I moved.

Do you have a pension?

I see my real estate portfolio as my pension – and that ultimately goes to my family.

What is your number one financial priority?

Stability for the family. I would love to get to the stage in our lives where we can travel the world and see all the places I never really got to see on tour.

But a bigger priority is stability for the children, and I want them to continue investing in my property and gifting it to their children.

Tickets for Peter Andre: The Best Of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons are available at fourseasonsshow.com for the UK tour from January to March 2025.