Peter Andre reveals awkward moment he asked wife Emily’s dad permission to date her at age 22
PETER Andre has revealed the awkward moment he asked his wife Emily’s dad permission to date her at age 22.
The 50-year-old singer, who is 16 years older than NHS doctor Emily, insisted he wanted to do “the right thing”.
Peter has revealed he first realised he had feelings for his wife Emily while walking arm in arm with her father on a romantic beach – after thinking her dad was Jesus the first time he saw him.
He told the full story of how romance first blossomed for the first time, saying he had known her for two years before it hit him that he had fallen for her.
Peter has previously told how he first got to know Emily after her urologist father Ruaraidh MacDonagh performed a dangerous operation on his kidney stones.
But now he has told for the first time how it was the physical closeness of Emily’s relaxed family that changed their relationship from friendship to love.
Speaking on the Off Air podcast, Peter told hosts Jane and Fi: “My kidney stones were bad. I ended up in hospital and I collapsed.
“I ended up moving from one hospital, being sent to another, they then said ‘we can’t operate on you, we need to send you somewhere else’.
“So the third hospital. And on that night Emily’s father, who I didn’t know then, was on call, and when they’re on call as the consultant they don’t always go in, they give advice over the phone.
“But this night, he had to go in because apparently this operation was quite dangerous.
“He operated on me and I remember waking up, and you know that big bright white light shining down, his head was in front of it and I thought it was Jesus. I didn’t know where I was.”
Mysterious Girl singer Peter continued: “We became friends and I met the family, and for two years we were all friends – Emily’s family and my family.
“I think it was two years later we were all in Zanzibar. I’d gone on a holiday with them because they work with the health care system out there.
“And I remember they all walked together holding hands. It’s such a lovely thing. I used to see them together holding hands.
“This particular night they say ‘Oh, join in’. So I’m holding hands and on one side I’m holding Emily’s hand, and on the other side I’m holding her father’s arm.
“And I was getting tingly feelings on one side of my body, and on the other side of my body I was so nervous because I didn’t know what I was feeling.
“And I thought ‘Oh, no, I’ve got feelings for Emily – what do I say?’ “
Peter joked: “If I tell her father he’s going to wish he did a different operation!
“I then thought ‘Well I have to ask him’. So slowly, slowly I said ‘Look I’m getting feelings – I don’t know, is it ok?’
“He was thankfully really happy with it.
“And then Emily and I, two years after meeting, dated for the first time.
“And then the rest is history. I guess it’s a wonderful story.”
A year before Emily’s dad operated on Peter, the singer had separated from his first wife, model Katie Price, who he met on TV reality show I’m A Celebrity.
They have two children together, Junior Savva, 18, and Princess Tiaamii, 15.
Emily was just 20 while Peter was 36 when they first met.
They started dating two years later and tied the knot in 2015 at Mamhead House in Exeter.
The couple now have two children together, nine-year-old Amelia and Theo, six.