His eldest son’s stardom has sky-rocketed in the last year since appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, and now Jeff Brazier has ruled out ever trying his own fancy footwork on the show – admitting he doesn’t want to quickstep on Bobby’s toes.
Asked if he’d consider waltzing onto the Strictly dance floor himself, Jeff tells Closer, “I would be uncomfortable doing the next series, because I feel like that was Bobby’s world. I want to leave that as his thing.”
The Brazier family – also made up of Jeff’s PR-executive wife Kate Dwyer, 34, and youngest son Freddie, 19 – won over the hearts of the public after appearing in the Strictly audience to support Bobby. The 21-year-old EastEnders actor came runner-up in last year’s series, with proud dad Jeff not afraid to shed tears of pride.
Opening up about getting vulnerable on camera, Jeff – who raised his sons following the tragic death of their mum, reality star Jade Goody, in 2009 – reveals, “I have become a better person the more vulnerable I’ve become. In the early years of bringing up the children, I would just use the shield of positivity, and it only got me so far. If I can allow myself to ask for support, then suddenly life gets a little easier.”
And since Bobby’s Strictly success, Jeff adds that the whole family is going from strength to strength.
“My wife is the director of a PR company, so she works incredibly hard. I’m so proud of her. Bobby’s got such an amazing opportunity to pursue his passions, and that’s very much acting. My youngest Freddie is working on something slightly more manual and physical. There’s never any pressure from me – I don’t care what either of my boys do, as long as they’re nice people,” he says.
But the TV personality isn’t ruling out working with his sons in the future. Jeff recently teamed up with Freddie for a campaign with HomeServe, equipping young adults with DIY skills. “HomeServe told me that 20 per cent of young people don’t feel prepared for adulthood,” Jeff says. “And I’ve got two in that category. But 61 per cent of parents have no clue either.
“How can my boys be sufficient around the home if I’ve not taught them to be? I loved the fact I was learning with my son. I’m not pushing him to be involved in this industry and I don’t think it’s of much interest to him, but I felt really proud seeing his confidence grow.”
Jeff became a single dad following the loss of Big Brother star Jade, who passed away aged 27 from cervical cancer. In the following years, the star turned his focus to parenting – juggling being a dad with presenting gigs on This Morning and I’m A Celeb!.
On his kids growing up in the spotlight, Jeff says, “I’ve always been worried about my boys, but not overly. I don’t necessarily describe myself as an anxious thinker. In the last couple of years, I’ve learned the limitations of being a parent to boys who are becoming men. I can’t – and shouldn’t – be the answer to everything. They need to make mistakes to learn from them and become more independent. They know there’s nothing I won’t do for them, but I won’t do it for the sake of it.”
Jeff Brazier has partnered up with HomeServe. For more information and to download HomeServe’s new videos, visit Home Serve.