Jeff Brazier’s son Freddy has hit the headlines with his father reportedly taking legal action to prevent him from seeing his maternal grandmother Jackiey Budden.
Freddy has opened up about his life away from the spotlight
Jeff Brazier, the TV presenter and father of the late Jade Goody’s children, has reportedly taken legal action to stop his 20-year-old son, Freddy, from having contact with his maternal grandmother, Jackiey Budden, 68. Jeff is reportedly hoping to keep Freddy safe from “a relationship that has been incredibly detrimental to his wellbeing”, with the TV presenter said to be hiring a barrister ahead of an upcoming hearing.
It comes after Freddy had previously spoken about his ADHD diagnosis, revealing that he was diagnosed at the age of 10. “I don’t think I was bad but I weren’t good,” Freddy said on Celebrity Race Across the World last year. Meanwhile, Jeff added: “I couldn’t hazard a guess on how Fred’s mind works but I know he’s going to do something amazing in his lifetime. We need the pioneers, we need the people that give a completely different opinion. That’s what Fred’s role is gonna be. And I see it. I’ve always seen it and I look forward to him realising it, one day it’s all gonna click and fall into place.”
Jeff Brazier and his son Freddy both appeared on Celebrity Race Across the World(Image: Instagram/@jeffbrazier)
Freddy also opened up about struggling with losing his mother Jade Goody as a four-year-old. “I lost my mum when I was four and that was on Mother’s Day, which is really hard. I don’t really like showing my emotions. I don’t even speak to my dad much about my mum either. I just avoid it. I prefer to bottle it up. I don’t want to feel like I’m a burden to them,” he said.
Jeff even admitted on the show that Freddie “isn’t at home loads” and that he was looking forward to strengthening their father-son relationship on the show. “D’you know what I’m most looking forward to about this trip is that I feel like I’m about to learn a lot more about my son,” Jeff said. “[Fred] isn’t at home loads and as a result, I don’t see loads of him, but the beauty of this trip is he’s with me and can’t shake me off.”
Over the last several months however, Freddy and Jeff’s relationship is said to have deteriorated with Freddy leaving their family home to stay with his grandmother Jackiey in Bermondsey, London. “Freddie will often turn up on the doorstep, sometimes very unhappy, and wanting to see his nan,” a source claimed to the Mail.
“He and Jeff often argue, the rows can be bad, things go really, really pear-shaped between them and that’s it, he leaves. “While Jackiey has her issues – and will be the first to admit she isn’t the most perfect or archetypal grandmother – he can share his feelings with her which is something he can’t do at Jeff’s.”
Jackiey has opened up about drug addiction in the past, revealing that she daughter her daughter Jade to “roll cannabis cigarettes” by the time she was five. “I’ve never ever had drugs until I started at 45 years old. Stupid. I was on crack. I was the guiltiest person ever at that specific time,” she said in one interview. “[Jade and I] had one physical fight. That was down to me being a crackhead.”
Back in August, Freddy appeared alongside his father on BBC One’s Celebrity Race Across the World, where he opened up about his career path and family life. While his brother Bobby found fame through roles on EastEnders and Strictly Come Dancing, Freddy admitted: “I’m figuring out what I’m going to do with my life.”
Jade Goody’s mum Jackiey Budden(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The youngster has also been open about his close relationship with his father, Jeff Brazier, despite the ups and downs they’ve faced over the years. Reflecting on their bond, Freddy shared, “At times where I’ve pushed him away he has pulled even harder to pull me back in. I don’t think I praise my dad enough for everything he has done for me but he knows the love.”
Jeff Brazier and Jackiey Budden have been at odds for years, with reports from 2023 revealing that Jackiey was banned from attending Bobby’s performances on Strictly Come Dancing.
Back in 2021, Bobby revealed he was back in touch with Jackiey after not speaking to her for two years. Telling fans on Instagram, the actor said: “I didn’t see her for ages – for way too long – but I went to see her twice recently.
“And honestly if there’s one woman you shouldn’t underestimate it’s my nan. Honestly, she’s like a wizard! It’s nuts.”
Meanwhile, Jeff has previously open about his challenging relationship with his mother-in-law, Jackiey Budden, especially after her fallout with the family years ago. Despite the tension, Jeff has spoken about how things have improved over time, particularly in terms of her relationship with his sons.
The Shipwrecked star previously spoke about the rocky relationship with Jackiey while appearing on ITV’s This Morning, saying: “It has ended very well, but five years ago she went off on her own path and it wasn’t quite right to have that contact and she made it quite difficult because she went to Tenerife. But as she settled in herself, the boys kept a lot of contact with her and at the moment she’s very helpful and very prominent in their lives.”
