Sunday, 27 September 2009

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Peter Andre's secret struggle

Fears for the star as he buckles under pressure behind the scenes

An exhausted but very happy-looking Peter Andre was beaming in photos promoting his new album last week.

Yet shortly after smiling for the cameras Pete, 36, broke down in tears as he dedicated his song Unconditional to Harvey, Jordan's seven-year-old son by Dwight Yorke.

Fans at the album launch noticed he looked gaunt, tired and thinner than ever before.

‘Pete's been determined throughout his very public divorce not to let the cracks show and he's left the spitefulness to his ex-wife,' a well-placed source tells . ‘But to say he's come through this unscarred is a mistake.

‘He's lost his appetite, had panic attacks and is cracking under the immense pressure of keeping it together in the public eye. Sometimes it's all too much.'

Since the split, Pete's lost nearly 3st - around 2lb a week. He's still living with his brother Michael and often has to get up at 6am for work, skipping breakfast in favour of a strong coffee.

But he still works out, even though he now looks painfully thin. Last week he admitted: ‘I'm scared of putting weight back on, so I'm training 45 minutes a day.'

Pete's staying busy to keep his mind off the split, but there are fears that by pushing himself so hard his health could suffer - or worse, he could relapse into the eating disorder he suffered during his Mysterious Girl days.

‘When Pete gets home after a hectic day, he'll suddenly realise he hasn't eaten properly all day,' says our source. ‘Michael will sit him down and they'll cook something, or friends come over to encourage him to eat proper meals.'

Our source says: ‘Evenings are hardest for Pete. He'll trawl the internet, chat to fans on Twitter and email into the early hours.

'He'll see some of the stuff Jordan's said, brood and pore over pictures of himself, criticising his appearance. He might then watch a DVD because going to bed alone is still hard to get used to.'

Probably the most frightening sign of his frail state of mind was the panic attack he suffered two
weeks ago.

‘Everything came to a head and he couldn't think straight,' says a pal. ‘It all got too much.'

SEE PICTURES Jordan and Peter Andre - a love story in pictures>>

SEE PICTURES Jordan parties in Ibiza>>

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 beth_mcloughlin@ipcmedia.com

See the full story about Peter Andre in Now magazine dated 28 September 2009 - out now!