Jeff Brazier has opened up about accepting that his son Freddy must decide when he is ready to seek help.
Speaking on Matt Willis’ On The Mend podcast, the presenter described years of trying to keep his son safe.
Jeff, 47, said he had offered different ways forward but now recognised that Freddy, 22, must make that choice. He remains determined to be there for him.
“What else can I do but keep trying? I just keep trying. I’m never going to stop,” he said.
Jeff Brazier describes fears for Freddy
That commitment has involved seeking police help and searching the streets for his son on numerous occasions.
“To see your son suffer in that way and not be able to appeal to his better nature to stop that addiction cycle….I couldn’t do anything to stop it. And I tried standing in front of the front door, I tried going to the police,” he said.
Jeff claimed Freddy sometimes left again soon after being brought back, leaving him frightened about his safety.
He described episodes of psychosis during Freddy’s drug use as the hardest part of the past six years.
He said Freddy had been sectioned and spent time in rehab, but those interventions had not changed the behaviour.
Jeff explained that he had repeatedly encouraged Freddy towards choices that might improve his health and happiness.
“I’ve tried to provide every route that would lead him out of it,” he said.
He also reflected on their appearance together on Celebrity Race Across the World. During the programme, Freddy acknowledged his dad’s continued efforts to reach him, even when he pushed him away.
Jeff said that moment mattered because it showed Freddy understood what he was trying to do. He explained that, in calmer moments, he felt his son recognised both the situation and what he needed.
Jeff reflects on Jade Goody’s absence
Jeff raised Freddy and older brother Bobby after their mother, Jade Goody, died from cervical cancer in 2009.
He recalled how he and Jade had wanted their children to feel loved unconditionally, despite their own difficult childhoods.
Jeff spent time in foster care and later moved into a women’s refuge with his mum and younger brother.
In the interview, he rejected the idea that he could take Jade’s place in their sons’ lives.
“I was the dad. I could only play that role. They lost their mum. You can’t fill those boots,” he said.
Jeff stated Jade’s absence remained part of daily family life, with significant challenges still to work through.
Despite those difficulties, Jeff hoped a future conversation would bring a more positive update about the family working together.
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