Jeff Brazier has spoken publicly for the first time about his efforts to help his son Freddy overcome addiction, revealing that he repeatedly searched the streets to bring him home and even contacted the police.
The TV presenter described trying to physically prevent Freddy from leaving the house and seeking police assistance as he struggled to keep his son safe.
He said: "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."
Psychosis and street searches
Jeff, 47, said the "hardest and most challenging" part of the past six years was that Freddy, 22, would experience psychosis when he used substances. Speaking to Busted star Matt Willis on the On The Mend podcast, he explained: "That's when his behaviour is not his own. And that's when he's just walking the streets. And you don't know what could happen to him."
He added: "I've had to go looking for him on countless occasions and trying to bring him to safety, only for him to then flee the minute that you turn your back because he needs to be near the things that he perceives himself to need."
Jeff said Freddy had been sectioned and had spent time in rehab, but "that still wasn't enough for that behaviour to change."
Family struggles and Jade's legacy
Jeff raised Freddy and his older brother Bobby after their mother Jade Goody died from cervical cancer in 2009. He believes Jade would fully support his efforts to keep their son safe, saying: "What else can I do but keep trying? I just keep trying. I'm never going to stop. I just always want to support him. It's what Jade would be absolutely insisting that I do."
Jeff also discussed Freddy's difficult relationship with his maternal grandmother, Jackiey Budden. Earlier this year, it was reported that Jeff had gone to court to try to block contact between Freddy and his grandmother, after Freddy posted a video of himself smoking drugs in her Bermondsey flat in south London.
He told Matt: "Fred has been through a lot in the last eight years. In particular, he has a very tricky relationship with his maternal grandmother. But oddly, it's really difficult to protect your child from someone that they're related to, especially if they're the last surviving blood relative of the person that you've lost that you love the most."
A father's perspective and hope for the future
Jeff acknowledged that he could not force his son to seek help, but hoped Freddy would reach a point where he was ready to change. He said: "I've tried to provide every route that would lead him out of it. And obviously always try and be that voice of reason that encourages him to try this and try that and all these different things that we can do that will take you a step towards being healthier and happier."
He added: "But it hasn't quite transpired that he's ready. And what I learned a while ago is that it's got to be his call. And when he's ready, and only then really, will you ever see him climbing out of the cycle."
Freddy previously appeared with his father on Celebrity Race Across the World, where viewers saw the pair discuss their relationship. Freddy acknowledged how his dad continued to reach out even when he pushed him away, words that meant a great deal to Jeff, who said: "He understands a lot of what is going on. Why it's happening, how his choices have maybe led to certain outcomes. Sometimes the guard goes up and there's a lack of accountability, which can frustrate. In the calmer moments, I know that he sees the picture for what it is and knows what he needs."
Jeff's determination is rooted in his own childhood, during which he spent time in foster care before moving into a women's refuge with his mum and younger brother at age 13. He recalled how he and Jade recognised similarities in their experiences and were united in giving Bobby and Freddy a different childhood, with love that "wouldn't be conditional" and "would be absolutely rock solid."
Jeff reflected on their relationship, saying: "I think our relationship, if I was to be really philosophical, it was meant to create those children. And then beyond that, I can't find any meaning around her losing her life when she had so much to give, when she was the fierce, protective mum that they both really could have done with."
He spoke of his sadness that Jade wasn't there to see 23-year-old Bobby's recent catwalk show in Milan, saying: "She just would have been cheering and clapping and shouting out. You wouldn't have been able to have stopped her because of the immeasurable pride that she would have had. And it's just one of the most unfair things in life when you think what was taken away from her and also what was taken away from them."
Jeff, who has worked as a life coach with bereaved people for over a decade, also spoke about his desire to help other men confront their difficulties, adding: "People need to know that there are outlets and pathways other than numbing with substances or running from it or avoiding it."
