Jeff Brazier is currently starring in Celebrity Race Across the World on BBC One alongside his youngest son Freddie.
The 45-year-old TV personality first popped up on screens in 2003 when he appeared on Channel 4’s Shipwrecked.
Since then, chirpy Jeff has appeared on the likes of I’m A Celebrity, Dancing On Ice and Celebrity SAS.
However, it is perhaps for his relationship with the late Jade Goody – with them regularly appearing in the tabloids in the noughties – that Jeff is best known. He’s also a dad to two sons – EastEnders and Strictly star Bobby, as well as Freddie – from that relationship.
But how much do you know about Jeff’s life before he was famous?
Jeff Brazier ‘abandoned’ in foster care
Back in November 2020, it was reported Jeff was undergoing therapy, stemming from issues when he was put into foster care.
Jeff was fostered aged five, as his teenage mum reportedly struggled to raise him on her own.
His biological dad was said to be not on the scene – and died when Jeff was only 10.
And so, Jeff and his brother Spencer reportedly lived at a women’s refuge in Great Yarmouth before going into care.
Jeff previously noted during an appearance on Dave Berry’s Dadpod podcast how he hoped to be the ‘best version of himself’ for his own boys, having suffered from feeling of abandonment.
“I’ve been in psychotherapy for a process called re-parenting,” Jeff explained at the time.
He went on: “[It’s] to do with the childhood rejection and abandonment, you know, of being in foster care for however long I was in there.
“The last two and a half years have been absolutely vital for me becoming the best version of myself, if you like, the version of myself that I may have been if the circumstances were different when I was younger.”
Dad’s death in Marchioness disaster
In a desperately sad turn of events, Jeff’s father passed away in the 1989 Marchioness disaster.
He was the skipper of the boat which sank in the Thames in London after being hit by a dredger. Over 50 people were killed, including Jeff’s dad Stephen Faldo.
Back in June 2020, Jeff posted about his father “that fate was cruel enough to ensure I’d never meet”.
He opened up to fans, admitting he’d looked into the events that led to Stephen’s death for the first time.
Offering inspirational words, Jeff wrote: “I hope others who have lived lives equally as complicated as my own will feel even just a slight sense of satisfaction knowing you’re not on your own, your feelings are valid, and being honest, even if slightly vague feels great and is to be encouraged.
“Own your story, recognise the strengths you’ve acquired and show your vulnerabilities because we all need to be a little more human and recovery works (much) better when we aren’t bottling things up. Yes I’m encouraging you to talk, get used to it.”
Brother’s life-long disability
In 2010, a BBC Three programme focused on Jeff’s relationship with Spencer, who has cerebral palsy.
Spencer moved in with his sibling for the show. Jeff hoped it would assist his brother, helping him live a more active life.
Jeff said at the time: “Through embarking on this journey with Spencer I hope to provide the catalyst that will enable him to find himself, his courage and his confidence, break down the psychological restrictions he places on himself and for us to grow close once more after our 15 years of living with some distance between us.”
Some critics at the time, however, pondered whether Jeff was pushing his brother too much. And Jeff, too, reportedly admitted to demanding too much of Spencer.
He added: “I’m not critical of Mum’s parenting,’ says Jeff. ‘I know that when it takes him hours to tidy or wash up, it’s easier just to step in and do it yourself. But over time, it’s taken Spencer’s independence.”
Celebrity Race Across the World is on BBC One Wednesdays at 9pm. It repeats Sunday afternoons on BBC Two.
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