Peter Andre: 'my Dad was sold as a slave'
The Strictly Come Dancing 2015 celebrity reveals a remarkable family back story
Peter Andre's remarkable rise up the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard is nothing compared to the story of his father, who he says was "sold as a slave" when just 11 years old.
The singer and Strictly star revealed his Cypriot father Savvas's incredible story in a new Radio Times magazine interview. During World War II, Andre explained, his father was sold to earn money for the family.
"It's very interesting with my dad because at 11 years old in Cyprus, he was sold as a slave," he said.
"There were 13 kids," he explained. "And they had no food, no money. So some of the kids had to be sold to earn money for the family. And then Dad came back after years. I didn't know this until recently. And I said, 'Dad, are you serious?' And he said, 'Yeah, but son, that was our life.'
"So Dad's determination, what Dad's achieved in life, is incredible. He came to London not being able to speak a word of English, learnt a trade – he became a barber – and he still owns a barber's shop in Paddington."
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Read the full interview in the new Radio Times magazine, out Tuesday
