Junior

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.”

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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.

PETER Andre has revealed he refused to let his adult son Junior share a bedroom with girlfriend Jasmine at the family home — and even banned them from closing the door.

The Mysterious Girl singer admitted he enforced the strict rules when Junior, now 21, first started dating Jasmine, despite his son already being around 18 or 19.

Speaking on his new podcast, At Home With The Andres, alongside wife Dr Emily Andre, Peter explained that he wanted to set an example for his younger children.

He said: “Junior, even now he’s with his partner, yeah, that’s different. He’s with Jasmine and they’re really happy. They live together, it’s different.”

The dad-of-five continued: “When they come over together, they stay together. But when they got together, with Jasmine, it was like, no, you’re not sharing a room. And he’s an adult, he’s like 19 or 18, and I’m like, no, no, you guys can sit up there and watch TV, doors open. They must’ve thought we were…”

Emily backed her husband, saying: “I actually think a lot of parents would relate to that.”

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Explaining his reasoning, Peter added: “And it was because I didn’t want Millie and Theo to be thinking that it’s just normal for someone to just have someone in their room with the door shut. And then what happens if that relationship doesn’t work out?”

He continued: “Well then the next person, and then where does it stop? So I’m glad that we put those rules in.”

Emily agreed, saying: “As a parent, you can only do what feels like the right thing at the time.”

She added: “I do think that was the right thing at the time, especially with the younger kids in the house. But, you know, everyone’s got different rules, but I think a lot of parents will relate to that. Definitely.”

The couple’s new podcast offers listeners a glimpse behind the scenes of their family life, with the pair discussing everything from parenting dilemmas to marriage and their very different careers.

Peter and Emily tied the knot in 2015 and share children Amelia, Theo and Arabella, while the singer is also dad to Junior and Princess from his previous marriage to Katie Price.

THINGS look like they’re about to get tense for Princess and Junior Andre in a first look at their mission on Celebrity Race Across The World.

The offspring of Peter Andre and Katie Price jetted off to take part in the BBC series at the start of the year, and the show will return to screens next week, on October 28.

But in preview images from the show, Princess, 19, and Junior, 21, look to have their work cut out for them.

Geared up in t-shirts and trainers, brandishing massive green backpacks, the pair are seen in the snaps looking stressed out as they face the TV challenge.

Branded “the wildest race yet” by the show’s producers, the siblings are pictured poring over a map and a compass, working out which direction they’ll need to head.

The pair will start their race in Kuching, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak in North West Borneo, and attempt to navigate their way to the final destination of Melbourne, Australia.

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Despite their pop star dad Peter hailing from Down Under, the brother and sister team don’t look too sure about making the nearly 3,500 mile voyage.

The siblings will compete against singer-songwriter Ella Eyre and her childhood friend Nana, veteran sports broadcaster Jeff Stelling and his son Matt, and musician Sam Ryder with his best friend and tour manager Kaz.

Bosses rushed to sign up the pair after the success of ITV2’s The Princess Diaries, which featured influencer Princess and her big brother, who is taking after Peter’s footsteps with dreams of a singing career.

A source said earlier this year: “Princess and Junior have proven themselves to be well-mannered, hardworking kids and opportunities continue to come their way.

“Execs were impressed with the ratings for The Princess Diaries but also how they came across.

“They’re brilliant signings for Celeb Race as they bring with them a younger audience.

“But bosses are also looking forward to seeing how they cope with the stripped-back style of travelling as they’re more at home in five- star hotels than a hostel.”

Junior and Princess left London to start work on the show in February, amid the start of the controversy surrounding their mum Katie’s whirlwind wedding to Lee Andrews.

Now, eight months on, the marriage has fallen apart, with Katie bracing herself for a complicated divorce in the wake of Lee’s conman behaviour and stint in jail.

Fans of the famous offspring will be able to chart Junior and Princess’ mission when Celebrity Race Across The World returns to iPlayer and BBC One next Wednesday.