Purple Wiggle John Pearce ‘squirms’ over viral heartthrob status: ‘It feels a bit cringey to me’

Purple Wiggle John Pearce, 35, admits he sometimes “squirms” over his viral heartthrob status.

Since the skivvy-wearing star joined The Wiggles in 2021, he’s gained plenty of popularity with young fans and perhaps even more with their grown-up parents, with many jokingly commenting on ‘Big Strong John’s’ muscular physique.

“I squirm a bit because of the role I have at the moment, I am the purple Wiggle, I am here to entertain children and families, so it feels a bit cringey to me that I have a title like that,” Pearce said on the Mental As Anyone with J.MO podcast.

Watch the video above. 

“But it is flattering, I’m not going to complain,” Pearce told host Jonathon Moran.

“It is not the worst thing to be called in the world, my wife loves it, we have a laugh.

“If I think about it, when I see myself on video and camera, I’m thinking, ‘What are people seeing?’ That’s just how I feel. I don’t know what people are seeing.”

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During the podcast, Pearce and Moran discussed self-image and confidence. When asked what he thought of himself on-stage and on-camera, the performer’s response was rather self-deprecating.

“I look like a muppet when I see myself on camera,” he admitted.

“Look, I think my brother [Pearce’s twin, Lenny] is a good-looking guy. I think he’s got quite a symmetrical face, more symmetrical than me, but … I’m not gonna lie, I feel like I look after myself.

“My wife tells me I’m good-looking, my mum says that I’m good-looking. I don’t think that. To me, I feel I look like a muppet sometimes.”

While Pearce’s muscular and tattooed appearance might be unlike his Wiggle predecessors’, he described fitness as a “coping mechanism”.

“I love going to the gym, that’s an outlet for me. Staying healthy and fit is a way for me to get rid of that built up adrenaline and those feelings of anxiety,” he said.

Pearce and his twin brother Lenny were members of the dance music group Justice Crew before he joined The Wiggles.

He had plans to become a firefighter but after failing to pass, a chance encounter with founding Wiggles member Anthony Field changed his trajectory forever.

The Wiggles have returned from a UK tour and will continue with shows across Australia’s east cost and will then hit the US in August.

Pearce married his long-time partner Jessie Adamo in 2019 and together they have a beautiful one-year-old son Henry.

“I think lately I’ve become more vulnerable with what I’m sharing, it is just real stuff that I’m doing. I’m showing my family, I’m introducing my mum, introducing my dad,” he continued on the podcast.

“It’s my experiences with my son and my wife and I feel like the more authentic you can be … obviously, the way I express most of my stories is through comedy. I love to have a laugh.”

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