Jeff Brazier on life as a single parent: ‘Friends become more important’

Jeff Brazier has revealed how he has been coping as a father following Jade Goody's death in 2009

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by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

When Jade Goody lost her battle with cervical cancer in May 2009, her ex partner Jeff Brazier was left devastated - and a single parent to grieving sons Bobby Jack and Freddy.

"Sadly the visit wasn't without incident..."

And the 35-year-old recently revealed that he felt as if he'd been letting his two sons down, as he had felt unable to help them deal with their grief.

Now, speaking in a new blog post on The Huffington Post, he has revealed that he has attempted to reconcile them with Jade's mum, Jackiey - although the meeting was not without its difficulties.

He said: "I called their grandmother Jackiey and invited her over to ours in my absence in order to spend some time with the boys and even stay the night, something the boys get extremely excited about seeing as they almost always visit her at her home.

"Sadly the visit wasn't without incident, but seeing that this week has ended in such a satisfactory manner I don't feel the need to drag it up."

Jeff Brazier and his two boys
Jeff Brazier and his two boys

But, while things may still be difficult between Jeff and the boys' grandmother, the fully-trained Life Coach has revealed that he has an amazing support group in the form of his friends.

He said: "It's so important for parents, especially single parents, to have a strong and reliable support network around them…

"Nothing induces guilt like parenthood but we all have to work. As a presenter I travel fairly often… [but] I entrusted the boys with my best friends Dean and Dawn, as warm and caring a family as you'll meet.

"Knowing the children are having fun is exactly what you need when you're out working to alleviate the sense of feeling like you should be somewhere else."

Jeff Brazier with the late Jade Goody and their two sons, in happier times

Jeff revealed that his sons have been losing their tempers recently, but added that their anger wasn't a sign of disobedience, it was a sign of frustration and sadness.

To help with this, he took the boys to Jade's "special place" - and sat down with Bobby and Freddy to discuss how they were feeling about things.

He said: "Bobby remarked whilst in tears that he is rude to me because 'he has nobody else to take it out on'… to hear such a mature and honest statement come from the mouth of a child was ahead of his years and very meaningful for me.

"I leapt around the table choked to tears myself and we hugged until we had both finished. The relief was incredible for both.

"I have a feeling we are really moving forward now, it's amazing how much can change in a week."

READ MORE: Jeff Brazier heartbreakingly reveals why he has let Jade Goody's boys down

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