Peter Andre has jetted back home to Australia this week after being told his 52-year-old brother, Andrew Andre, is seriously ill with stomach cancer.

Last week, while the singer was in Africa on a charity mission, he was told the bad news and as soon as he was back in the UK he boarded the first flight back to Oz.

A source revealed, “Pete has been knocked for six by this. He found out last week that Andrew was ill with cancer and that it was actually really serious.”

They added, “He’s left the kids with Katie and has told them that he’ll hopefully be back next week.

“His other brother, Michael, has gone out there too. It’s a real nightmare for everyone. Pete is so upset and worried for Andrew.”

A close friend of the family explained how Andrew will undergo several operations this week to try to remove the cancer.