Peter Andre is "proud" of the people his children have become

He told the Daily Mail newspaper: "I was very strict about what [Princess] wasn't allowed to, you know, I didn't want didn't really want her doing a lot of stuff before she got to the age that she can do it herself.

"I'm really proud of her. I think she's a really sweet person and I really hope people see that of her and I just want her to shine and, you know, I want her to just go on and just become her own little true gem.

"She's a great girl and I'm proud of her and I'm proud of Junior too. He's such a good, good kid."

Peter - who also has Theo, eight, Amelia, 10, and 16-month-old Arabella with his wife Emily - admitted he has had to learn to "let go of the reins" as Princess has become an adult.

He added: "This is the hard bit, because I have to be honest, trying to cut that umbilical cord at 18, some people let go [more easily].

"I know I had to let go of the reins a bit, and that it was not easy. It's scary because it's still your baby.

"They still say things that they've said when they were 10 or 1, like, they might be grown up in actual age, but they're still your baby.

"And yeah, OK, I could have been considered a bit of a strict dad, but I think I'm all right now. I'm, I'm chilled out a lot more now."

He admitted he wanted to "try and keep the innocent as long as" possible.

He said: "And then, you just got to realise that they've got to live life."

The Mysterious Girl singer's comments on parenting come after he claimed his and Katie's children life with him for "their safety".

Katie complained she had allegedly been told she couldn't appear on Princess' new reality show, as well as being "upset" the kids had signed up with their dad's management team.

In a statement on Instagram, he fired back: "For sixteen years, I have stayed silent in the face of repeated lies from my ex-wife and her family, out of respect for my children and loved ones, but staying silent has been incredibly frustrating. That ends today.

"The latest comments about my children's welfare and living arrangements compel me to set the record straight. For well-documented reasons, and for their safety, Junior and Princess came into my care in 2018 and remained with me until they reached adulthood. In 2019, the family courts issued a legally binding order to enforce this arrangement. I have never made this public before, out of respect for my children.

"In 2011 and 2015, publicly documented court cases, found my ex-wife had made false claims. She was ordered to pay substantial damages and legal costs, and to apologise, to me and my management. The same falsehoods are being repeated today."

And Peter, who split from Katie in 2009, suggested this isn't his last word on the situation.

He concluded: "Unfortunately, there are many more lies and baseless accusations I have yet to address. Those will now be dealt with in the coming months."

A spokesperson for Katie - who has three other children from previous relationships - insisted the former glamour model is "at peace with the situation".