I'm rubbish at making time for myself – I end up cleaning instead!'

OK! UK

February 02, 2026

Emily Andre on finding it tricky to prioritise self-care, having hard conversations at home, and starring in her own TV show

I'm rubbish at making time for myself – I end up cleaning instead!'

Emily Andre has quite the juggle on her hands – and it's one most busy parents will be all too familiar with. The doctor, author and mum-of-three reveals in an exclusive chat with OK! that, while she's used to both a busy household and a demanding career, she doesn't always get the balance right – especially when it comes to prioritising herself.

Opening up about the realities of family life, the 36-year-old, who is married to Peter Andre and mum to Amelia, 12, Theo, nine, and Arabella, one, says that self-care often slips to the bottom of her to-do list.

And though as a medical professional she knows how important it is to take care of yourself, chatty Emily says, “I'm not that good at making time for myself. I'm actually... pretty rubbish!”

Emily explains, shaking her head, that she even struggles to find “12 minutes” a day to dedicate to herself.

“Ok, so I'll give you a stupid example. This New Year I said, 'I'm going to do some exercise,' so I bought a subscription to do calisthenics. They had a deal on, so I bought a 12-week subscription, and it said 12 minutes a day,” she says.

“That was about two weeks ago. Do you think I've done it once? No. The answer is no, I have not even done it once – and I'm so annoyed at myself! How can I not find 12 minutes in a day? I end up cleaning, tidying up, working or doing something else.”

Emily is also stepmum to Peter's older children, Junior, 20, and Princess, 18, meaning life can be quite hectic, but Emily says she “wouldn't have it any other way”.

With children spanning different ages and stages, Emily admits that although parenting is often a total joy, it can be difficult too.

“I think parenting teenagers is a challenge,” she says. “It's striking that balance between wanting to be approachable and kind of a friend to them, where they feel they can share things. That's really important.