The drama among the Brazier family is said to have taken a fresh turn, with eldest son Bobby Brazier no longer close to dad Jeff Brazier.
Recent reports claimed that 20-year-old Freddy was at loggerheads with Jeff, 46, who is taking legal action to prevent him from seeing grandmother Jackiey Budden.
Freddy later gave an interview to the Daily Mail, in which he declared that he ‘doesn’t want to see’ his father, accusing him of being image-obsessed without consideration for ‘his own sons’.
The younger Brazier brother is due to enter rehab in Spain soon, having admitted publicly that he’s been addicted to smoking since the age of 12.
Meanwhile, Bobby, 22, is also thought to be distancing himself, having moved out of the family home in Essex to his own Soho apartment.
The Mail reports that Bobby’s new residence is close to Hare Krishna HQ, with the 2023 Strictly Come Dancing star immersing himself in spirituality while processing his and Jeff’s strained relationship.
Bobby is believed to be taking part in daily rituals, mantra chanting, and the preparation of communal meals, having become a fan of the religion’s ‘peaceful outlook’.
The organisation is described online as following the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, with its teachings deriving from ancient Hindu scriptures.
Consequently, This Morning presenter Jeff is reportedly ‘heartbroken’, especially as things remain so frosty between him and Freddy.
A source close to the family said: ‘Bobby’s always had a spiritual side, but this is intentional. It’s clear he’s trying to leave all the fighting and noise behind.
‘Freddy’s rebellion is loud—drugs, public slanging matches, and legal battles about his nana—while Bobby’s is quiet. But actually it’s just as defiant.
‘He’s turning his back on the life his Dad created for them in Essex and following his own path.’
The insider added that Bobby shows up to Hare Krishna HQ ‘every Saturday without fail’, joining in the kitchen sessions, lessons, and prayers.
‘This isn’t a gimmick,’ they insist.
And it isn’t just Jeff with whom Bobby is thought to have fallen out.
It’s claimed that the actor, whose exit from EastEnders was recently confirmed, is also no longer close to Jeff’s wife, Kate Dwyer.
Younger bro Freddy has said he and Bobby are no longer best of pals, which is a stark contrast to the supportive scenes the nation witnessed when Freddy and Jeff cheered for Bobby in the Strictly audience.
He claims they are ‘all barely speaking,’ having previously been very close to his brother, both of whom were only little when their mum, Jade Goody, died of cervical cancer in 2009 at age 27.
‘It’s always all about image. It’s all about money,’ Freddy recently claimed in a tongue-lashing of Jeff. ‘That’s why Bobby moved out of my dad’s place, too. He’s living in London now instead, doing his own thing.’
He added: ‘Me and Bobby don’t speak much either. I sent him a message to wish him a happy birthday, but that’s it.
‘I used to be the middleman between my dad and everyone. But now I can’t be bothered. I don’t care what happens.’
Contradicting the family source’s description of Bobby, Freddy added that his brother is ‘the fiery one’.
‘I’m chilled out—I zone out and walk away when we argue.’
But there could still be hope for a reconciliation, with Freddy vowing to enter rehab to improve his relationship with his dad, who split from Big Brother star Goody in 2004.
His tell-all interview, in which he said he is ‘in a good place’, came one day after his Instagram Story statement in which he promised to work on his family relations by ‘cutting down’ smoking.
In part of his post, he wrote: ‘I want to be clean so I can life happily and have healthy relationships with people and be there for all of my family rather then feeling like I’m in the middle and have to choose a side.
‘I haven’t been able to feel love properly as I have never loved myself and it starts now I want to play football and take up boxing I want to be happy and be in a healthy relationship and have a healthy relationship with my Nana and my father’.
He’s also vowed to maintain contact with nan Jackiey, irrespective of Jeff’s wishes, and rebukes the idea that he smokes because of her, with Jackiey having lashed out at Jeff herself with explicit rants.
‘Supposedly, he’s (dad Jeff) taking legal action to stop me from seeing my nana, but nothing will stop me doing that. She’s my family,’ Freddy stated.
‘And my mum would be upset if she was here to see him doing that. He still tries to treat me like I’m 13. I’m 20 years old.
‘He doesn’t let me do anything for myself.’
Reps for Bobby Brazier have been contacted for comment.
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