Always putting the welfare of his boys first, Jeff Brazier has reportedly launched a legal bid to stop his youngest son Freddy from seeing his grandmother, Jade Goody’s mum, Jackiey Budden.
Jeff – who is dad to Bobby, 21, and Freddy, 20, with late Big Brother star Jade – is believed to have hired a leading barrister for an upcoming hearing in an attempt to block contact between his son and Jackiey. While the exact details of why such drastic action is needed are unclear, Freddy – who is known to regularly stay with Jackiey at her flat in Bermondsey, South East London – is thought to have shared videos to TikTok of himself seemingly taking drugs at her home.
He also reportedly shared a video of her swearing and ranting at him, but both have since been deleted. In response to the allegations, Jackiey said, ‘I see Freddy all of the time. I will see him.’
An insider tells heat, ‘This is not a decision that Jeff has taken lightly, especially as Jackiey is the boys’ only link to their mum. He doesn’t want things to get uglier than they already are and is hoping that by taking legal action, the matter can be settled quickly. He feels he’s tried everything else and now he’s had enough.’
The source continues, ‘Jeff doesn’t feel that Freddy is safe in Jackiey’s world and thinks that most parents would agree with him, judging by what’s already been made public on social media. He’s not trying to turn anyone against anyone – for him it’s an issue of safety. It’s incredibly upsetting, but Jeff’s just trying to be a responsible parent.’
The boys’ mum Jade was just 27 when she passed away from cervical cancer in March 2009. Jeff, 45 – who dated Jade for two years from 2002 – became the sole caregiver to Bobby and Freddy, who were just five and four when Jade passed away. Appearing on Race Across The World together last year, Jeff and Freddy opened up about losing their mum, as well as their relationship with each other.
Freddy said, ‘[Dad] had a big responsibility to very young boys who were grieving and that’s not very fun. At times, where I’ve pushed him away, he has pulled even harder to pull me back in.’
Jeff’s wife Kate, who he wed in 2018, has also been a huge support, and last week posted a snap of Jeff, Bobby and Freddy with the caption, ‘Family time’.
Jackiey, 68, has previously spoken about her difficult relationship with Jade due to her past struggles with drugs, describing how her daughter was ‘rolling spliffs’ for her when she was as young as five. In an open letter to Jade in 2015, she wrote, ‘I wish I’d been a better mum. Jade, I’m sorry for the times I let you down.’
In that same letter, Jackiey claimed to have been sober for 12 years and there is no evidence to suggest that she’s still taking drugs. Our source says, ‘Jeff knows this isn’t something that Jade would ever have wanted, but he feels even she would be putting her foot down in this situation. She had her own issues with Jackiey and the boys always came first. Jeff would like to think he has her blessing in what he does. It’s heartbreaking for everyone.’
Jackiey has made no secret of her ill will towards Jeff over the years, calling him a ‘cock’ in 2023 after she bought her own ticket to watch Bobby pick up a Rising Star award at the NTAs. It was also reported that Bobby had subsequently banned her from coming to watch him perform in the Strictly final.
And now things have escalated so badly that Jeff seemingly feels compelled to take legal action in order to protect his sons.
Our insider says, ‘There’s been several lines crossed over the years, but Jeff feels this is it now. It’s no secret that he and Jackiey have never had a brilliant relationship, but Jeff has always wanted to do the right thing by Jade. Now, though, he sadly believes that Freddy needs to be shielded from his grandmother. He wishes the best for Jackiey and hopes that she can turn her life around, but at the end of the day, his main concern is the kids.’
heat reached out to Jeff’s rep for comment, but there was no response at the time of going to press.