Antonia: What inspired you to create Scarlet?

Obviously, we have a lot of experience now in fragrances to get it right, we launched quite a few with the Perfume Shop who’ve done some of the biggest men’s and ladies’ fragrances, so we wanted to create something that was a limited edition. I’m a little bit sad that this one’s a limited edition because I love this. 

I wanted something that was classy and elegant, I wanted it to have the power that Scarlett Johansson had in The Avengers, she’s like the black widow dark and sultry. Because the new women of the world are quite strong, they’re powerful. Don’t worry I’m not saying us guys aren’t powerful I’m just saying but you know, the new woman is powerful and elegant but had that little devilish thing, you know that little sting, that little sort of bite to her.

Antonia: I’m quite impressed… It’s fantastic, it’s beautiful and it smells great.

Did you ever see yourself becoming the brains behind a perfume? 

Peter: Never! I worked, one of the first jobs I did, was I worked in a place called Myers in Australia which was a department store like Debenhams, it was one of the first jobs I ever had. And I worked in the men’s department in men’s clothing, and all I wanted to be in was men’s aftershave. I loved Azaro, Armani, I loved all of those brands when they first came out and I couldn’t wait to push them on people. ‘You have to try this and you have to try that’ so when I got signed up 20 years ago one of the things I said was that one day I’d love to bring men’s aftershaves out. So years later the opportunity came along and we got approached by a company that did a lot of the big brands and I said ‘can I do men’s’ and they said ‘ok’. You might be disappointed but women are the buyers,  there are some guys who look after themselves and they might go and choose their own but in general the woman will go and she will buy what she wants for her man, so they ask them if he were to bring out something what would it be? And they said a female fragrance. And when they approached me and I said, ‘Female? What do I know about female fragrance?’ I thought it’s never going to work. They said all the people you love, Verace, Georgio Armani, they all do female fragrances but I said, ‘I’m not as knowledgeable as them but they said ‘with the right team behind you, you will be able to create something’. So my part at the beginning was quite small but as it’s grown you don’t realise how involved you get.

Antonia: It’s great, it’s a lovely accomplishment and I think with such a strong, female fanbase behind you so it’s quite fitting of you and what you’re doing and how you’re evolving as a brand and yourself. 

Peter: And it’s weird because then you do something like a TV commercial like for Iceland and it’s almost like can you do all of that? And you know if you were just doing something like a commercial it can come across like you’re doing it because there’s nothing else but thankfully we’re selling out tours, we’ve got brands that are selling incredibly well and when you get to do an advert you get to have the fun side of it where you’re just doing a bit of tongue in cheek and it’s a bit of fun and it keeps your profile in a different way. So I’m having fun.

Antonia: People have understood that there’s an element of fun in what you were doing with the TV adverts.  I put it on Twitter ‘do you have any questions you want me to ask Peter Andre?’ and the most common one was does he really shop at Iceland? 

Peter: Someone asked me this on stage and the answer I gave was ‘I really want to know if you go to Iceland and I said, ‘ Listen, I heard it’s a beautiful country with beautiful greenery, and I will visit very soon. And they said, ‘come on!’ So we banter.

Antonia: I want to take it back to image because a lot people have followed you from the outset of your career and noticed your look when you first emerged onto the scene. What about the evolution of the way you look?

Peter: Well my parents used to give me grief about the way I looked. ‘One day you’re going to look at this and laugh – wear a suit, wear something nice. ‘Nah don’t be a silly dad I’m 20 years old, I want to do what I want. What do I care?’ I’d wear my shirt open and they said you will see as you get older than what you think looks cool doesn’t necessarily look cool. My dad was honest with me he always wanted me to wear a suit. The bank manager would come round and he’d make me wear a suit. I hated suits. I couldn’t bear it, I wanted to be in my shirts and jeans. ‘Get upstairs and get dressed. 

And now? My dad laughs. And I say ‘you were right’. ‘Cut your hair. Do something neat.’ He tells me to shave it but I’m like, ‘no, stubble’s in’. You know you do evolve and as soon as I turned 40, it was like a switch went and I thought now it’s time to get out of these gimmicky outfits. I still wear the odd beanie and stuff like that but I like to dress up.

Antonia: Do you think that society puts way too much pressure on the way we look, even as men do you think it’s too much pressure?

Peter: Yes. Do you know why? Because animals don’t know what they look like, they’re happy. Mirrors came along and kicked us right in the face. And then HD TV came out and it made it even worse because you see all the wrinkles. Honestly, I almost wish mirrors were not invented. We’d be the happiest people on earth.