Peter Andre has revealed the heartbreaking reason he didn’t have a birthday party for a decade.
Earlier this year, the 'Mysterious Girl' singer jetted off to Dubai with his family to mark his 50th birthday - but in a recent interview, he shared the tragic reason why he can’t usually face celebrating his special day.
The dad-of-four shared that when his older brother Andrew died of kidney cancer in 2012, he was left in a ‘very, very dark place’.
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Andrew was just 54 when he passed away 10 months after being diagnosed with the disease.
A statement from a spokesperson at the time told the Mirror: “Peter is devastated. He was very, very close to his brother.
“This is the very first family member Peter has experienced losing. He just needs time to grieve.”
In an interview with The Times this week, Andre explained: “When I lost my brother, I was in a very, very dark place. Therapists said, ‘You’re going through grief. It’s not the same as anxiety and depression, though you might be feeling the same symptoms.’”
Two months on from the death, Andre’s loved one threw him a surprise party to mark a milestone birthday - but the day took its toll on the singer.
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“At my surprise 40th birthday two months later, I kept disappearing and breaking down the whole night because I’d lost my brother,” he said.
“I don’t think I’ve had a birthday party since.”
The singer has been vocal about the impact his brother’s death had on him and his loved ones.
Back in December 2021, he took to Instagram to mark nine years since he passed.
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He uploaded a post that read: "108 months, 3,285 days, 78.840 hours, 4.730.400 minutes, 283,824.000 seconds, 9 years. Not a moment goes by I don't miss you my brother.”
In 2021, Andre explained that his brother’s death also led to his decision to stop making reality TV shows.
With his ex-wife Katie Price, Andre appeared in a slew of ITV shows including When Jordan Met Peter, Jordan & Peter: Laid Bare, Jordan & Peter: Marriage and Mayhem and Katie & Peter: The Next Chapter.
Following their split, he went on to star in Peter Andre: The Next Chapter and Peter Andre: My Life, which came to an end in 2013.
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Writing in his column for New magazine in 2021, he explained: "I often get asked why I stopped filming our reality show when it was doing so well and I guess there were a number of factors, the main one being when I lost my brother Andrew in 2012.
"Even though ITV were very kind to give me a month off filming, when I went to film again I was constantly breaking down and I realised it was time to take a long break from doing the show.”
Topics: Celebrity
Claire Reid