Freddie Brazier has confessed that he used the BBC budget during his time on Celebrity Race Across the World to fund his cannabis habit. The 22-year-old son of the late Big Brother star Jade Goody and TV presenter Jeff Brazier made the admission while appearing on the Terry Stone Connection podcast.
Struggles during filming
In 2024, Brazier teamed up with his father for the BBC reality show, where they finished in third place. He said he was not in a good place mentally when they were filming the travel show and described himself as "selfish" for smoking the drug while working on the show.
He told listeners: "I almost forced myself to do it. I weren't in the place mentally, and when I knew that we were going to be filming over Mother's Day as well, I was like, 'Oh, f**k, s**t, I'm going to have cameras in my face on f***ing Mother's Day. I want to be alone'."
Using the daily allowance
Contestants on the show are given a strict budget of £1,100 per person for the 7,800-mile race from Belem, Brazil, to Frutillar, Chile. Brazier said that on Mother's Day, he and his father had gone swimming and watched the sunset to mark the day, but later that evening, he left the hotel to buy some weed.
The TV star added: "I went and bought myself a three five (3.5g of weed) in Brazil on Mother's Day and smoked it with these two bracelet makers on the beach while looking at the stars. It was beautiful, but it was so wrong."
Reflections on his actions
Looking back, Brazier admitted it was a very "selfish" thing to do, which could have "cost us the show". He went on: "I feel like I needed that joint. Honest to God, I feel like I needed that joint; otherwise, I was getting kicked off the show anyway because I weren't in the greatest headspace, and I didn't want to be filmed on Mother's Day."
Brazier reportedly began smoking from the age of 12 and has struggled with poor mental health over the years, including going to rehab and experiencing manic episodes. Until recent years, Bobby Brazier's younger brother remained largely out of the limelight. Behind the scenes, he had struggled first with grief when his mum died of cervical cancer in 2009, when he was just five years old.
Then, when his brother Bobby rose to stardom after joining EastEnders and Strictly, Freddie had an identity crisis, struggling to find his true calling and purpose in life. Jeff Brazier revealed on Celebrity Race Across the World that Freddie's struggles behind the scenes have become a growing concern. He explained: "I've seen my son struggle. I know what he needs is a greater sense of purpose, self-worth and confidence."
Freddie mused over leaving his teen years behind him as he approached his 20th birthday on the show. He confessed: "Right now, I'm figuring out what I'm going to do with my life. I think that's quite tough. Who is Freddie Brazier? I don't know, but I hope the race will help me find who I am."
