Inside Jeff Brazier’s son Freddy’s life from mental health struggles to living with drug addict gran

Freddy Brazier’s son Freddy has been making headlines thanks to his father’s alleged legal action to stop him from seeing Jackiey Budden, his maternal grandmother.

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.”

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.

On the show, Jeff even acknowledged that Freddie “isn’t at home loads” and that he was eager to improve their father-son bond. You’re probably aware of the fact that I think I’m about to learn a lot more about my son, Jeff said. The beauty of this trip is that he is with me and can’t shake me off because Fred isn’t at home much and doesn’t see much of him.

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 frequently argue, and Jeff leaves. “The rows can get ugly, and things can go really, really pear-shaped between them,” he says. Although Jackiey has issues with her, which he can’t do at Jeff’s because he can’t share his feelings with her because she isn’t the most perfect or archetypal grandmother.

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.”

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.”

Years of friction have existed between Jeff Brazier and Jackiey Budden, according to 2023 reports that Jackiey was prohibited from seeing Bobby Strictly Come Dancing performances.

After missing Jackiey for two years, Bobby revealed that he was now in contact with her again in 2021. The actor told Instagram followers, “I didn’t see her for ages – for way too long, but I went see her twice recently.”

“And to be honest, my nan is the one woman you shouldn’t underestimate. She’s like a wizard, to be honest! It’s nuts”.

In addition, Jeff has previously made open remarks about his difficult relationship with Jackiey Budden, his mother-in-law, especially given her years of separation from the family. Jeff has compared her relationship with his sons to how things have changed over time despite the tension.

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.”

The Mirror has contacted Jeff and Freddy Brazier’s representatives for comment.

Source: Mirror