JUNIOR Andre has revealed he was forced to get a job on the London Underground after blowing all the money he made from his music career at just 17.
The singer, now 21, made the surprising confession during tonight’s opening episode of Celebrity Race Across the World, admitting he had learned the hard way about managing his finances.
Junior, the son of Peter Andre and Katie Price, opened up about his past while working alongside younger sister Princess, 19, picking coconuts in exchange for free food and accommodation during the first leg of their race.
He said: “Growing up in the public eye, I’m used to people prejudging me and stereotyping how I’m going to be.”
The star continued: “People just assume that I’m just living off Mummy and Daddy’s money, but I’m not going to take money from my parents. That’s just not me.”
Revealing how he ended up taking on a demanding night job, Junior explained: “I released my first single at 17, and I got a big chunk of money come in for my music, and I blew it all, so I had to go get a job.”
He added: “I worked on the London Underground, on the Piccadilly line, 10pm to 6am, and that was intense. I was doing wiring. I was carrying heavy materials, basically doing just loads of manual labour stuff.”
Despite having no previous experience of the job, he insisted he had thrown himself into it. “I may not have known as many things as everyone else on the Underground, but I worked hard. I like to think that I did the best that I could, and it taught me a lot about money.”
Reflecting on what he learned, Junior added: “You know, it taught me about having a budget that you need for your weekly shop.”
Junior and Princess are among four celebrity pairs taking part in the fourth series of the BBC travel competition, which sees contestants race thousands of miles without the usual luxuries of modern travel.
This year’s line-up also features Eurovision star Sam Ryder and his friend and tour manager Kaz, singer Ella Eyre and childhood friend Nana Pepera, and former Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling alongside his son Matt.
The teams are racing from Kuching in Malaysian Borneo to Melbourne, Australia, navigating unfamiliar destinations and completing challenges while sticking to a limited budget.