Peter Andre's 'painful' meeting with wife Emily who is 16 years his junior


The 'Mysterious Girl' singer married NHS doctor Emily Macdonagh in 2015


Peter Andre and Emily Andre on Loose Women table© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Katie DalyLifestyle Writer
August 10, 2025
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This summer marks 10 years since Peter Andre married NHS doctor Emily Macdonagh, and though they have settled into a life of marital bliss, their initial meeting wasn't so picture-perfect.

Not quite the romantic set-up many fans will picture for the 'Mysterious Girl' singer, Peter, 52, met Emily, who is set to turn 36 next week, after her surgeon father operated on her future husband after he was rushed to hospital with a kidney problem.

© Instagram
Emily and Peter met after her dad treated him

At the time of his illness, Peter – who was previously married to model Katie Price from 2005 to 2009 – was due to play a gig in Plymouth. 

© Shutterstock
Emily's father performed surgery on Peter

However, kidney stones led him to seek treatment from consultant urologist Ruaraidh MacDonagh, Emily's father.

When Peter met Emily

Recalling the incident on The Ray Darcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 last year, father-of-five Peter, said: "I had an operation and it you need any more proof that there is no love without pain…I collapsed from this kidney problem, and Emily's dad operated on me. We became friends for two years, I met the family, we were all friends for years."

© Getty
Peter said "there is no love without pain!"

Peter went on to explain that his children, Junior, 20, and Princess, 18 – who is set to star in her own reality show, The Princess Diaries, premiering on ITV2 on Sunday night, were just five and three when they first met Emily.

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Emily is a stepmother to Peter's two older children and a mum to three with the singer

"One day I thought, 'Oh oh, I'm starting to get feelings for Emily. What am I going do here?'," Peter recalled, adding: "I thought if her father finds out, he's going to wish he did a different operation, so I went and asked him. I said, 'Look before I say anything to Emily, I'm really sorry, but I've got feelings for her. Are you OK with me asking her on a date?'"

"He laughed, and he said to me he kinda felt there was a chemistry going on. He was great about it - and he remains one of my best friends. We're together all the time."

Peter and Emily's love endures

The pair went public with their relationship in 2012 and, after a whirlwind romance, Peter popped the all-important question on New Year's Eve 2013, getting down on one knee in the nursery at their home, just days before their daughter Amelia was born.

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Emily and Peter's daughter Amelia is now 11

Their wedding day was straight out of a fairytale, with Peter and Emily tying the knot in July 2015 at Mamhead House in Exeter.

Emily took bridal gown tips straight from the Princess of Wales' book as she chose a princess-cut gown with a full skirt and lace sleeves courtesy of Sassi Holford.

Though the pair's meeting was quite a rocky start, it's clear the couple, who share three children, are quite the power couple with countless displays of affection at red carpet events - goals!

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