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Peter Allen: The untold story

Peter Allen's first love has opened up about the early struggles of the Aussie icon from Armidale.

He was one of Australia’s biggest and most complicated stars and, in a special interview, Sunday Night met the woman who first captured his wildly wandering heart.

His early years in Armidale with Jenny Godwin forged the path for the fascinating showman and they remained close until his final days.

"I met Peter when I was 5 years of age …and we became lifelong friends after that," Jenny said.

"We just clicked. We were just two little wild kids together doing what we were allowed to do."

They lived a few streets apart, went to school and dance class together and became the best of friends.

She eventually became Peter’s first ever girlfriend and his first love.

"We did have our little kiss under the bridge."

But Godwin said his effervescent personality covered the trauma he experienced at home, a relatively unknown period of Allen's life now recreated in a telemovie to air on Channel 7.

Allen's father Dick — a war veteran — suffered from PTSD and drank heavily
And although mum Marion did her best to protect Peter and his sisters but home was a hostile place.

Hi father committed suicide when Peter was just 13 and it was also his sexuality that Allen struggled with, growing up in conservative country NSW

Allen saw his dance classes with Jenny as an escape.

"Peter had a walk about him that I guess maybe if we had have known what 'gay' was we would have thought maybe he is different, maybe we don't know about these things, but when we were growing up gay was happy," Jenny said.

"They used to call him 'little poofter Peter Allen' and 'freckle face wallno'… Some of the people were very unkind to Peter."

Peter Allen
Peter Allen

Despite the challenges he faced in his small hometown, Allen became an epic international hit-maker, helped launch the careers of other stars including Olivia Newton-John and dominated the music circuit in the US. To top it all off he married Liza Minnelli.

His success made Jenny eternally proud.

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"All I could think of at the time was 'Armidale eat your heart out'. I'm sorry but that's what I used to think. Anybody who knocked him in those days, bad luck. Look where he is today, and look where you are today. I really did think that."

Peter died in 1992 of an Aids related cancer. He was 48.

A scene from the TV miniseries about his life
A scene from the TV miniseries about his life

"I met his boyfriend Greg and Greg was lovely. I really believe with all my heart Peter loved Greg deeply… but Peter loved everyone."

"The last time I sent a card to him and a letter, he would have received it 3 days before he died."

Watch the full interview in the video above.

Seven’s spectacular event Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door airs September 13.