Peter Andre’s Sliding Doors moment
Following the shock documentary Leaving Neverland, did Peter Andre’s sliding doors moment save him from an unimaginably horrifying fate?
Leaving Neverland, Channel 4’s controversial two-part documentary, exploring child abuse allegations against pop sensation Michael Jackson, had nearly 2.5 million of us glued to our screens when it aired earlier this month.
And viewers were quick to notice another famous face among the 1980s footage – pop star Peter Andre.
The Mysterious Girl singer, who moved to Britain from his Gold Coast home in the mid-90s, came second in a dance competition where the winner’s prize was to meet the King of Pop.
Peter, now 46, was 15 at the time, and made his brief appearance in the background of the competition in Brisbane – dressed in white socks, a black leather jacket and red bow tie – very much like a mini Michael Jackson.
In a twist of fate, the dad-offour lost out to Wade Robson, 36 – who now claims Michael sexually abused him as a child.
Wayne, who went on to find fame as choreographer for Britney Spears and NSYNC, was only five at the time. He came close to not even entering the talent show as the age limit was supposed to be seven, meaning Peter would have met Michael...
When Peter Andre was asked whether he ever thought about what could have happened if he’d won,he said, ‘My mind has never gone to that, ever.
‘Back then... it was every kid’s dream to meet Michael, and that’s what the competition was all about,’ he explained.
Commenting on the documentary, Peter added, ‘ We have to rely on the justice system and we mustn’t forget that he was acquitted of not just one, but all child molestation charges during his trial in 2005.’
The comments divided Twitter users. Some slammed him, with one writing, ‘Peter Andre might be happy for his children to listen to Michael Jackson music, but I wonder if he would be comfortable leaving his children alone with Jackson if he were still alive’.
Others praised him, ‘@MrPeterAndre, thank you so much for being what I feel is the lone voice standing up for Michael Jackson. You have said what needs to be said.’
The Jackson family have issued a statement saying Michael, who died on 25 June 2009, is a victim of ‘public lynching’ when he is ‘not here to defend himself’.
Leaving Neverland has also ignited worldwide debate about whether you can separate an artist from their songs.
Should Michael Jackson’s music be banned from radio? Asked about the touchy subject, Peter said, ‘ You can’t just stop listening to an artist’s music due to accusations alone.’
We imagine there’ll be plenty of people disagreeing with the Aussie on that one…
‘It was every kid’s dream to meet Michael, and that’s what the competition was about’