Abbey Clancy is preparing to celebrate her milestone 40th birthday in January – and we’re told that husband Peter Crouch has been tasked with making it one to remember. But after Abbey went all out for Pete’s own 40th back in 2021, the former footballer is feeling the pressure and is worried she won’t forgive him if he fails to live up to her standards.
‘Abbey’s told Pete he needs to organise everything and really blow her away with it. She’s fed up with forever being the organiser and Pete not really putting the effort in. She has done it all – their wedding, parties, Christmas, holidays and houses. So for her 40th, she wants all that stress taken away,’ says our source.
‘She knows Pete is just lazy at times and that he has it in him to be romantic, so the pressure is on. Pete is terrified he will get it wrong and Abbey will never forgive him, but there are lots of people who can help him, and he has the money to go wild. She’s given him plenty of warning, her friends and family know this, so there’s no excuse. For Pete’s 40th, she celebrated with a big party, a holiday and lots of surprises, and he needs to at least match that – but really, he needs to go above and beyond.’
Abbey Clancy and Peter Crouch ©GC Images
The insider adds, ‘Although they live in Surrey, a lot of her friends and family are still in Liverpool, and that’s where they met in 2006, so it will also be 20 years of them as a couple – and she wants a lot of sentimental things to mark that. She’s dropped lots of hints about what she wants, so now he needs to up his game.’
Abbey has been vocal about Pete’s lack of effort in the past. Revealing he’s the worst at giving presents, she previously said, ‘He’s useless. He always seems to get it wrong. He bought me the same Burberry mac for like three years in a row.’ And admitting she ‘needs space’ from him if she’s feeling unwell, she added, ‘He’s a crap nurse and I want him to go away. He’s useless then.’
The model has confessed that Pete, 44, isn’t the best when it comes to romance either. Speaking about an awkward Valentine’s Day on their podcast The Therapy Crouch, she said earlier this year, ‘One Valentine’s Day quite a few years ago, I was head to toe in Agent Provocateur, dressed to the nines, with one of the Burberry macs that Pete bought me. And I thought we were going to stay in a hotel. But to my surprise, Pete had arranged a night in, and he got a chef to come to the house. So, me and him are sitting at the table, and I’ve got the full coat on. And then the chef proceeded to sit with us through every course, and I couldn’t take my coat off because I literally only had AP on underneath. It was so awkward.’
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The couple – who have been married since 2011, and share children Sophia, 14, Liberty, nine, Johnny, seven, and Jack, five – also don’t shy away from talking about their arguments. Speaking to Pete about his stubbornness, Abbey said, ‘I would love a mature argument – I can’t stand carrying it on for days. I can honestly say in 20 years, I can count on my fingers – on one hand – the amount of times you’ve said sorry. Even when you’re wrong, you don’t say sorry.’
And we’re told that more recently, the pair have butted heads over house renovations. ‘Over the past few months, they have clashed as she wants the whole house renovated or a new house, but Pete thinks that’s ridiculous,’ the source explains. ‘So, if he gets her 40th wrong, Abbey feels she’ll be more than justified to start on at him about the house again. The pressure really is on.’
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