As part of our interview series, My Happy Home, Peter Andre relives his awkward carpet blunder at Buckingham Palace and tells us why he leaves all the decorating to his wife Emily MacDonagh.
Peter is a British-Australian singer, songwriter and television personality, who rose to fame in the 1990s with hit songs 'Mysterious Girl' and 'Flava'. He has appeared on various television shows including I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2004, Peter Andre's 60 Minute Makeover and Peter Andre: The Next Chapter.
Peter has also performed in stage musicals (including Grease The Musical), written books, launched successful fragrances and has been involved in charity work. Peter continues to be active in the entertainment industry, with ongoing music projects, television appearances and various business ventures. He is currently working with Homesense, helping everyone make their most of their homes.
Peter lives in Surrey with his wife Emily and their two children Amelia and Theodore, plus Peter's two eldest children, Princess and Junior, who he shares with ex-wife Katie Price.
What makes you happiest at home?
PA: It used to be coming home and going in the recording studio or gym. But now the fun stuff is getting in my trackies, sitting on the sofa with my feet up, having tea and biscuits, and watching Netflix. That's my happy place with all the family around.
Tell us about your childhood home
PA: My first childhood home was in Sudbury, where I lived until I was six. I have a lot of fond memories there because we had a big garden. We were the first house on our street to have a colour TV, that's how long ago it was! All of our friends from school would be excited to come and watch TV at our house. It was just beautiful and fun.
Then of course we moved to Australia. I had a very different childhood there because we were the only ethnic family as far as the eye could see. We were picked on quite a lot and bullied – it was a bit tough at first. It was very different and hard to explain. Australia is so beautiful and such a paradise, but back then it was really difficult being ethnic; it was really tough.
I've got some beautiful memories there too, like going to surf at the beach and hanging out with my friends. I never really did any of the surfing because I was a bit outcast and didn't fit in with those kids. I used to just go and watch.
I have fond memories of both places, but whenever I'm near Harrow I will always drive past that house in Sudbury. I'll just sit outside for a few minutes. People probably think I'm a bit of a stalker. There are so many beautiful things there. My parents still have the house in Australia, so I get to relive the memories every time I visit.
When you get home, what is the first thing you like to do?
PA: Cooking is everything for me. The first thing I do is have an espresso and a cold water. That's my thing. I like sipping on the espresso and then you feel ready to attack the kitchen. I just love the kitchen and absolutely love cooking.
Which room do you spend most of your time in? How did you decorate this space?
PA: The hub is the kitchen. Being bought up in a Mediterranean household, the main part of the home is always your kitchen. You want to design it how you like because that's where you're hanging out. We've got an island in the middle so that's where everyone sits around — we all sit and talk. When I'm cooking, the kids might be doing their homework, but they're in front of me. It's all open-plan, which I love.
It has lots of neutral colours. There is a beautiful blue that was very much in fashion when we bought the house. We got it brand new, so it was like a blank canvas. The blue goes underneath, around and under the cupboards. The rest of the space is neutral. I guess in a way it feels quite Mediterranean with the blue and white.
Describe the view outside your bedroom window
PA: We have a balcony so I sit out there sometimes. When you look over that, the view is just the gardens. I take a lot of pride in the garden. Some people say it's not an age thing, but I love pottering around in the garden and watering plants. I just love seeing the seasons change and all the different plants and flowers come alive. I know, I know, I'm a dad.
It all happened in lockdown during that beautiful first summer. I remember thinking 'well, we may as well make the most of out the garden'. We were very lucky of course. I started to realise that I actually loved it. I always heard that term 'the darling buds of May' and I never understood what it meant. I used to think it was so posh, but now I find myself saying 'oh it's May, the darling buds will appear'. But obviously I do it in an Aussie accent.
Our balcony is quite big. We've got two olive trees, one on either side, I've also got some beautiful furniture from Homesense — two chairs with footstools and a coffee table.
What would we find in your bedside table?
PA: I remember someone saying a long time ago 'a clean bedroom helps you sleep better at night'. I have to agree with that and I keep it quite minimal. I've got candles, a phone charger and a bedside lamp. But then when you open the drawer, oh my God, everything is shoved in there. It's one of the drawers I need to go through. Emily's is all neat, tidy and organised. I found an Australian receipt in mine from 1980. How did it make it to England? It's just weird.
What is the best decorating advice you have ever received?
PA: There's only one bit of advice that I was told: let your wife do it. She has such an eye. A woman's touch is something completely different to a guy's touch. I'm not saying guys don't do a good job, but in my experience, my wife has the right taste for this sort of thing. I just let her do whatever she wants. That was the best advice I got. I went and sat on the balcony and had a coffee while she was she was designing.
I'm hopeless at DIY. It's quite funny because she's the yin to my yang. She's a great cook, but she doesn't like cooking. I would go so far to say she's a better cook than me, but I love cooking. She's brilliant at doing things like putting up a shelf. I thought I would be great, but I'm a disaster.
It's weird because I used to host 60 Minute Makeover. I was always getting stuck in at the beginning and then by the end I was pulled aside by the ITV production team who told me I had to wear a full hard hat. I said 'but no one else is' and they said, 'yeah but you're a liability'. I am your worst nightmare at DIY. One thing I can do is multitask: I can have an espresso and talk on the phone. That's talent if you ask me.
What is the best home bargain you've ever snapped up?
PA: Again, this is where I fail miserably. Emily will look at sales and bargains, I'm quite impulsive. I'm a typical guy that sees something and wants to have it immediately. I'm not a bargain man and I'm annoyed at myself for that. It is what it is.
Emily shows me stuff and I say 'yep, brilliant let's get it'. I would struggle without her on those sorts of things. I remember when she first visited me at my previous house and it was such a bachelor pad. It was so clinical and simple, filled with gadgets and there were no homely touches and no plants. I never even thought of them. Then, all of a sudden, when we moved, we had this blank canvas. She asked me if I wanted to be involved in every little thing, but I said she could just do what she wants.
What is your most treasured possession at home? Why is it so special?
PA: I know it's going to sound cringe, but obviously the kids. I have also got a gold disk that's one in a million. I used to have it on display, but now it's stored very safe and secure. I'm friends with some of the Jackson family, including Tito and Jermaine. I never met Michael, but I've known his family for years.
One day I went to a Jackson auction that the brothers were holding, it was for the Jackson Trust. I donated what I thought was quite a large amount to the charity. There was no prize for it, I just made a donation. Then, a man called David Gest — who was a friend of the Jackson family — came to me and said 'the Jacksons want to give you this'. It was gold, and it was to celebrate sales in excess of one million records of Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. A lot of people don't know but Michael Jackson bought the Beatles' catalogue. So he owned some of the gold discs. It's really special.
Instead of showing people my own discs when they come over, I take them straight to this one. It literally is priceless.
What would top your list for the worst decor trend?
PA: Some people will argue this, but the 70s paisley wallpaper that was in our home in Harrow. It was brown paisley wallpaper that was furry and that wasn't mould. Just imagine that. Although it can be quite fashionable as a statement piece, I think I'll skip that one. It was gross.
Are you green-fingered?
PA: I'm not really good at gardening, except for watering my plants. I put some music on and just love watering them. And I love jet washing but that's about it. I don't plant anything — I'm rubbish at that sort of stuff.
We've got a beautiful little water feature in the garden that's like a sphere. It's a mirrored sphere and it's quite big. It's like a trickling sound and there are rocks underneath and it lights up at night. When the weather in England is so beautiful, you just think why would I go anywhere else? There's so much beauty here because everything is green.
If you could have a snoop around anyone's house, whose would it be and why?
PA: I've been to certain rooms in Buckingham Palace and the funniest thing happened. I got invited by The Prince's Trust and I was in one of the rooms having tea and delicate little sandwiches, and we were getting ready for the Queen to come in at one point, God rest her soul.
I'm standing there and this man gives me a black coffee. I'm telling a joke which is not a good idea in the Palace because no one laughs. I knock the coffee and it goes all over the beautiful red carpet, and I mean, it goes everywhere. I offered to help clean it up and the people who work there said 'no, no, we'll do it'. I said 'please don't tell the Queen'. This room was so beautiful and the room was such a royal red, I thought it must cost a fortune to get new carpet.
As I was leaving the Palace, the security guards at the front said 'we heard about you today'. Then I asked if I would ever be invited back and one of the guards said 'probably not'. Incidentally, I've never been back.
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Lisa Joyner is the Senior Digital Writer at House Beautiful UK and Country Living UK, where she's busy writing about home and interiors, gardening, dog breeds, pets, health and wellbeing, countryside news, small space inspiration, and the hottest properties on the market. Previously, she has written for Conde Nast Traveller, House & Garden and Marie Claire magazine. Lisa studied at University For The Creative Arts, where she completed a BA in Fashion Journalism.
