Los Angeles, Jul 18 (IANS): Singer Peter Andre was forced to straighten his hair as a child when he was left scarred for life by racist bullying.

The singer has spoken about the heartbreaking reason why he had to make the change to how he looked, reports mirror.co.uk.

He said things got so bad in Australia when he was growing up that he had no choice but to remove his curls. Peter was targeted when his Cypriot-Greek family moved from the UK to live Down Under.

Talking on Carol Vorderman's 'Life Changing Stories The Pride of Britain' Podcast, Andre shared how bad things got for him that he had to straighten his hair.

He said on the show: "We suffered a lot of racism - not only were we the only Greeks on the Gold Coast, but I had an English accent, curly hair, a big nose - and we really stood out. I still straighten my hair because the curly hair reminds me of me being that little kid and those kids calling me what they did at school.

The 49-year-old says "bottling it up" didn't help. Because other people can't see it, they think you're fine, and you suffer in silence. I wouldn't just turn up to an event with full curly hair. I just can't bring myself to do it, even now, and I've had therapy. I still see what those kids called me when I look in the mirror."

He went on: "I still wouldn't be seen dead in a nightclub because I associate it with trauma. These guys were serious. I kept thinking, 'What have I done wrong?' And that's when I started to internalise the fear."

Andre last week confirmed that he is planning to put out new music next year.

He promised fans a brand new album in 2023 after years of waiting and says he is excited about stepping back into the studio.

The 'Mysterious Girl' hitmaker credits his children for keeping his drive to succeed strong.