United Kingdom, May 13 -- Peter Andre's "breakdown" lasted almost two decades.

The 51-year-old singer's mental health began to suffer when he reached global fame in the 1990s and he only "truly started to come through it" in his 40s, though he then suffered another setback in his recovery after his beloved brother Andrew died from a brain tumour in 2012.

Marking Mental Health Awareness Week this week, Peter wrote in his column for new! magazine: "It really does feel important to talk about it. I had a breakdown when I shot to fame in the 90s, and back then, it was a very taboo subject to talk about - people would just think you're 'cuckoo'...

"My breakdown lasted a long time. It was only when I got to my forties that I truly started to...