Teen star opens up about counselling, trauma, and “dark times” from her mum’s messy break-ups

Princess Andre has laid bare the emotional scars of her childhood, revealing how her mum Katie Price’s turbulent relationships left her struggling to cope.

The 18-year-old, daughter of Katie and her first husband Peter Andre, spoke candidly in her new ITV2 reality series The Princess Diaries. She admitted that while she had “amazing” moments growing up, parts of her early life were overshadowed by turmoil, public scrutiny, and adult problems no child should witness.

Katie and Peter’s marriage ended in 2009 when Princess was just two years old. While she was too young to remember their life together, she has vivid and painful memories of Katie’s later split from her third husband, Kieran Hayler.

Katie married Kieran in 2013, but the relationship collapsed in 2018 following his affair with her best friend. Princess was 11 at the time, and says the fallout marked a turning point.

“He was in our lives for like five years, so we got really close to him and we loved him,” Princess recalled. “When they split up, everything kind of went downhill.”

She described her mum as “heartbroken” and said Katie went through “a very, very dark time” after the betrayal. “It was hard for me because I was around adult things that kids should never see. When we needed our mum there, she wasn’t emotionally able to be there because she had so many of her own problems going on.”

The teen revealed that she began having counselling to process her feelings and still occasionally sees her therapist today. “I do wish I could have had a happier childhood,” she said. “I had so many things on my plate at a young age… I wish I could have enjoyed life without having things in the back of my mind.”

Instead, she often kept her pain private, turning to her phone to jot down her thoughts rather than speaking to anyone. Coming home from school could be especially tough. “I’d get into bed and cry” after hearing what classmates were saying about her mum in the playground.

She admitted she never went to her dad for support during those moments because she’d grown up knowing “my mum and dad don’t like each other.”

Princess said her experiences have left lasting marks. “I wouldn’t say I’m fully, fully recovered from it,” she explained. “I could speak about my childhood and be absolutely fine, but then once something sets me off… I’m like, ‘Oh my God, no.’”

Despite the pain, she credited her mum for turning her life around in recent years. “If you put her now to back then, she’s genuinely really fixed herself.”

Princess’s openness offers a rare glimpse behind the glossy world of celebrity families, where public image often masks private struggles. Her willingness to revisit these “dark times” has already struck a chord with viewers, many of whom have taken to social media to praise her honesty and resilience.

The Princess Diaries begins on Sunday at 9 pm on ITV2 and will also be available as a box set on ITVX.