JADE Goody’s mother Jackiey has claimed she’s “the closest thing to a mum” her grandsons have amid her bitter feud with Jeff Brazier.
Big Brother star Jade died from cervical cancer in 2009 when her boys – Bobby and Freddy – were just five and four.
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They have been raised by their TV star dad Jeff, 45, ever since.
He recently began legal action against Jackiey to stop her from seeing his youngest son Freddy, 20, on the grounds that she is having a “detrimental effect on his wellbeing”.
Now Jackiey, 68, has spoken out and insists she is yet to receive any legal papers from Jeff’s representatives.
“This is not fair,” she told the Mail. “I’ve tried so hard with Jeff over the years, to keep the peace and to keep the family together and the boys close – I even send him a Christmas present every year, but he doesn’t appreciate it. He probably throws them in the bin.
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“All these years, I’ve been the closest thing to their mum.”
Jeff and Freddy’s relationship hasn’t been without its troubles over the years and they spoke openly of their issues communicating on Race Across The World last year.
The duo teamed up for the celebrity version of the hit BBC show that saw them travel through South America without the use of phones.
Freddy recently spent three weeks at Jackiey’s before returning home to Jeff, which is said to be the reason for him seeking legal action.
The publication also spoke of issues in Freddy’s teens that have contributed to the icy relationship between Jeff and Jackiey, though it could not report them for legal reasons.
But despite Freddy previously sharing a video of him taking drugs at her home, Jackiey insists her house is safe and “always has been”.
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She said: “The boy is an adult now, and Jeff treats him like he’s ten. It made sense seven years ago when Freddy was still 13 when Jeff first tried to stop him from seeing me, but now he’s 20 years old.”
In a warning to Jeff, she claimed she could “ruin him if she wanted to” and accused him of “riding on” late daughter Jade’s coattails.
She also vowed to fight him all the way if he continues trying to prevent Freddy from having contact with her.
Ahead of their South American adventure, Jeff said: “D’you know what I’m most looking forward to about this trip is that I feel like I’m about to learn a lot more about my son.”
He told 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.”
Their journey was open, honest and fraught at times as they clashed over strategy and their inability to adequately share their feelings with one another.
Freddy said: “I lost my mum when I was four, and that was on Mother’s Day, which is really hard. I don’t really like showing my emotions.
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“I don’t even speak to my dad much about my mum either. I just avoid it. I prefer to bottle it up. I don’t want to feel like I’m a burden to them.”
In one telling exchange after Freddy secretly spent some money on food, Jeff told him: “You don’t have to do things on the quiet, surely it only makes life easier for us as a family if we’re all just honest?”
Freddy responded: “I don’t think we are even open as a family though, I stay quiet because I feel like that’s what everyone else does.”
Shocked, Jeff reminded his son how he’s been speaking out on the power of communication for years.
He asked: “Are you joking? Freddy, don’t be unfair, what have I done for the last seven or eight years?”
