Jackiey Budden, the mother of the late Jade Goody, has spoken out after Jeff Brazier, the father of her grandchildren, launched legal action to restrict her access to her youngest grandson, Freddy. The 68-year-old insists she is the 'closest thing' the boys have to their late mother.
Jade Goody, who rose to fame on Big Brother, died of cervical cancer in 2009, leaving behind sons Bobby, now 21, and Freddy, 20. Jeff Brazier has raised the boys since then. The legal dispute centres on Freddy's relationship with his grandmother, which Jeff alleges has been 'incredibly detrimental to his wellbeing'.
Jackiey, who has a history of drug use, including crack cocaine and cannabis, has been spending time with Freddy at her flat in Bermondsey. Social media posts showed Freddy appearing to smoke cannabis at her home. Jackiey denies the claims and says she has not received any legal papers, telling the Daily Mail: 'This is not fair. I’ve tried so hard with Jeff over the years, to keep the peace.'
A source close to Jade expressed understanding for Jeff's position, stating: 'Jeff’s looking out for Freddy’s best interests. Freddy needs support from the right people... and maybe Jackiey isn’t the right person to do that if she’s in a vulnerable position herself.'
Freddy recently appeared on BBC's Celebrity Race Across The World with his father, where he opened up about his mental health struggles. Jeff had earlier told the Radio Times: 'I feel like at some point he's going to move out and I'll lose him. So, I guess I'm just trying to squeeze every last bit out of him that I can.'
