It’s been a turbulent few days for Freddy Brazier after he split from his pregnant girlfriend following weeks of arguments.
But now it appears that the 21-year-old model and son of the late Jade Goody has turned to his grandmother Jackiey Budden as he adapts to life as a single man once again.
On Thursday morning, Nan and grandson enjoyed a dog walk near Jackiey’s home in Bermondsey, south-east London, just two days after the news of Freddy’s split from Holly Swinburn was revealed by the Daily Mail.
Dressed in brown trousers and wearing a black woolly hat to shield him from the cold, Freddy took his bully dog Pablo for a stroll with Jackiey – Jade’s mother.
But while the pair seemed to be in high spirits, there’s one person who certainly won’t be after seeing these photographs: Freddy’s father Jeff.
Jeff has spent more than a year desperately trying to keep his youngest son away from Jackiey, who he believes is a bad influence on Freddy. He even went so far as to hire lawyers in an unsuccessful bid to prevent Freddy seeing Jackiey, 68 – the closest person he has to a mother following Jade’s tragic death back in 2009.
And I’ve got more bad news for Jeff, 46, who also split from his wife, the PR executive Kate Dwyer, this week – because I can reveal that Freddy has moved back in with Jackiey after a spell living in his father’s home in Harlow, Essex – and is now staying in the spare room at her two-bedroom council flat in Bermondsey.
A source close to the family said: ‘Freddy loves his nan, they fight like cat and dog, but Jackiey is the closest thing he has to a mum.
‘But Jeff absolutely hates that Freddy and Jackiey are close. He doesn’t like Freddy being around her. Jeff tells people that his son is troubled and that Jackiey makes it worse. It’s a war that will never end.
‘While Freddy was with [his ex-girlfriend] Holly, he was living between Jackiey’s house and Jeff’s. But now he’s on his own he has gone back to his nan’s. He likes it there, he can chill out, smoke and talk about his mum. He sleeps in her old bedroom, it’s comforting for him.’
While Freddy has been busy making amends with his grandmother, Jeff jetted off to Iceland for a work trip for ITV news shows Good Morning Britain and Lorraine.
During that time it emerged that he had split from Kate and that his son had also dumped his girlfriend, Holly, who is four months pregnant with his first child.
Our exclusive pictures also reveal that Freddy has won the battle with his ex over who would keep their dog, Pablo. He told friends that Holly wanted to keep him at her home.
Those close to the young couple say it is now unlikely they will ever get back together after their split. ‘It’s a shame, they actually were a lovely couple and got on very well at times,’ said one source.
Indeed, their short, on-off romance turned into a more serious one almost overnight when Holly revealed she was expecting a baby earlier this summer with a shock photograph of a positive pregnancy test – blindsiding Freddy. Initially, Freddy was concerned the baby wasn’t his, but it is reported a paternity test proved he was the father. One source said: ‘It all feels so messy, sadly it feels like that is always going to be the way.’
Things haven’t always been smooth sailing between Freddy and his grandmother either. Earlier this year, they had a bust-up after he publicly claimed that she introduced him to cannabis.
He said on social media: ‘My nan is definitely the person who introduced me to reefer [a cannabis cigarette] and got me hooked. It’s one of those things, I was 12.
‘I’ve been smoking since I was 12, I’ve been to rehab, I’ve been sectioned, I’ve had manic episodes. There’s been a real journey and it’s been a tough one.’
His comments prompted Jackiey to hit back, insisting she is not responsible for his cannabis use.
She said: ‘I’ve read all these things he’s said about me and I just can’t believe he’d say them. It just isn’t true at all – I can’t believe it.’
So, only time will tell whether Freddy and Jackiey’s latest truce holds.
