What made Jordan and Pete heal their rift?
Jordan and ex-husband Peter Andre are proving they’re now closer than ever with gushing tributes and a show of unity. Closer’s psychological therapist Emma Kenny reveals why Pete is now one of his ex’s most trusted allies…
HE STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE BY SHOWING HER KINDNESS WHEN OTHERS DIDN’T
After their bitter split in 2009, Jordan and Pete didn’t talk for the next decade, instead liaising through mediators to discuss and hand over their children, Junior and Princess. But it seems the pair have turned a corner, with Jordan – real name Katie Price – posting a heartfelt tribute to him on Father’s Day, which included a montage of 21 pictures of them together as a family, and writing alongside, “We have amazing children and credit to you for being such a great dad.”
Pete, 47 – who is now married to doctor Emily MacDonagh, 30, with whom he shares Amelia, six, and Theo, three – has also been commenting on his ex’s Instagram posts of late, and when asked by a fan if they were on good terms, he replied, “We’re friends and she’s mummy, so of course.”
He even featured on her YouTube channel last week. He called Princess after Jordan, 42, took her to pick up a new puppy, and told his ex over the phone, “Good on ya, Mum”, before asking her if she would name the dog after him.
And in an interview just days earlier, Jordan said of their rekindled friendship, “It’s taken bloody time! I do like Emily as well. We are like chalk and cheese; we’re completely and utterly different. So when I go
to Pete’s, I think he thinks I’m lively, but I’m like, ‘You were with me for six years, Pete, you know what I’m like, and you were actually the same. You’re nuts as well’. But I say to him, ‘You’re getting old now.’ It’s funny. We have a laugh.”
HATE CAMPAIGN
It’s a far cry from their very public and acrimonious split, which led to a costly, four-year court battle in which Jordan accused Pete’s manager, Claire Powell, of launching a hate campaign against her. The case was settled in 2015, but in December last year, Jordan was overheard on a train blaming Pete and the court case for her bankruptcy after blowing her £45 million fortune.
Two months later, Jordan was admitted to rehab for posttraumatic stress disorder after a year of hell saw her selfmedicate with drugs and even contemplate suicide following her divorce from third husband Kieran Hayler, 33, a broken engagement to Kris Boyson,
31, and her mum Amy’s terminal lung disease diagnosis. But amid her battles, Pete offered her an olive br branch, saying he “wished her well”.
Jordan – who is now clean from drugs and booze – last week said she is “so much stronger”, and she has confirmed she wants another baby “when the time is right”. Closer’s psychological therapist Emma Kenny believes Pete’s support and their renewed friendship has been key.
Emma says, “Jordan will have learned a lot in rehab and will be putting it into practice – such as emotionally stablising yourself to cut out toxic relationships and to work through your important ones to make them as harmonious as possible. When Jordan hit rock bottom, Pete was the one who really stepped up to the plate by showing her kindness when others didn’t. She may have felt that men like Kris and Charles [Drury, with whom she had a brief fling] used her to boost their celeb status and only wanted the ‘fun’ times. But by offering his full support during her dark days, Jordan will have realised that Pete genuinely has her best interest at heart.”
STABILITY
Emma continues, “Pete is giving her the stability she has always wanted, and having that security, rather than the turmoil she has endured over the last couple of years, is probably what has helped save her. Pete wants to support Katie back to her full
mental and physical health so she can be the best mum to their children. It’s ironic that he is now someone she will trust the most.”
During an interview last week, the former glamour model said she had been visiting Pete’s family home after moving just five minutes away so she could be closer to Junior, 15, and Princess, 13, who moved in with their dad in 2018 over concerns about Jordan’s partying. She previously said how she appreciated Emily for being “a good role model” for her kids, and Emma adds, “From her dating history, it’s clear Jordan doesn’t like being on her own and has always wanted a close family unit, but she hasn’t found it – a blended family with Pete and Emily will give her that.”
Last month, Jordan– who also has Harvey, 18, with ex-footballer Dwight Yorke, and Jett, six, and Bunny, five, with Kieran – said her and Pete’s split was due to her falsely being accused of cheating on him, which she vehemently denied, and she said she would have “stayed married to Pete” if the decision had been down to her. Last year, Jordan even issued a grovelling apology to her ex just weeks after calling him a “b***end” – and insisted they still love each other.
After recently posting a throwback picture of her kissing Harvey on her wedding day to Pete, some fans speculated Jordan – who once admitted in a 2017 episode of My Crazy Life that she’d kept memorabilia from her wedding to Pete, despite being married to Kieran at the time – was feeling nostalgic over their romance. One fan commented online, “Seriously you two were so good together!” While another added, “TBH I think Katie still wishes she was with Peter.”
BUILDING BRIDGES
But Emma believes that, while their reignited friendship may have allowed Jordan to reminisce over happier times, she will also have genuine appreciation towards his new wife, Emily. She says, “Obviously, there were problems towards the end of her marriage to Pete, but he seemed to really love her. Seeing how happy he is with Emily may make her jealous to an extent, as she once had that, but she will also respect Emily for all she has done to give her kids love and security, so she will be motivated to make their new friendship work.”
And it seems she’s keen to build bridges with ex Keiran too, as she posted a Father’s Day tribute to him, calling him an “amazing dad.” But Jordan – who is living with her friend, PT Al Warrell – also proved she wasn’t quite willing to forgive everyone after turning up at Kris’ new home, which he shares with his latest girlfriend, reality star Bianca Gascoigne, to confront him over “lying to her”. Emma adds, “While she’s keen to move forwards not backwards, Jordan believes in speaking the truth – it’s likely she still wants to vent her anger on Kris for feeling he let her down.”