In a dive into his past, Jeff Brazier previously opened up about his relationship with the late Jade Goody.
The couple dated from 2002 to 2004. They had two children together – Eastenders actor Bobby Brazier and Freddie Brazier.
Jeff admitted that the infamous phone hacking scandal was a significant factor that led to the end of their relationship when he appeared on the 2019 Channel 4 documentary, Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain.
Gogglebox star Jeff Brazier on break-up with Jade Goody
During the documentary, Jeff revealed the deep-seated trust issues that grew between him and Jade. This was primarily due to intimate details of their personal lives consistently surfacing in the media.
“Things that were personal to us kept appearing in the paper,” Jeff revealed. “[We’d ask] how do they know that? We were convinced that [each other] or people around us were selling stories and making money on things that were very contentious for us,” he recounted.
This invasive breach was later linked to phone hacking by journalists, which targeted various celebrities including Jade Goody.
“Looking back now it was entirely obvious we were being hacked,” Jeff admitted.
Jeff Brazier on the hacking scandal
The extent of the hacking scandal was publicised following its association with the tragic case of Milly Dowler. News of the World journalists accessed the teenager’s voicemail after she went missing.
This revealed that journalists from not only he News Of The World but also other papers had participated in similar intrusions. Former journalist Dan Evans acknowledged in the documentary his part in listening to Jade’s messages.
Jeff – on Celebrity Gogglebox tonight (July 5) – detailed a particularly sinister moment when Jade received a new phone. However, the phone was revealed to have been tampered with.
“Jade received a phone that was pre-tampered with and as a naive kid getting free things sent you, you think great I’ve got a new pink Motorola, not realising everything you say is being transmitted directly to a reporter,” Jeff explained.
This breach, according to Jeff, “made a difficult relationship impossible”.
The documentary was released a decade after Jade Goody’s death. It explored the Big Brother star’s impact on reality TV and public health awareness.
Bobby Brazier on not wanting to be famous
Meanwhile, Jade and Jeff’s son Bobby has been busy making a name for himself in the entertainment world.
Since appearing as Freddie Slater on Eastenders, Bobby made his reality TV debut on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023. He finished as a runner-up.
The actor is also set to star in the Paramount Plus thriller series Curfew.
In a recent interview, Bobby admitted that he was struggling behind-the-scenes on Strictly.
“I don’t want to be famous. Maybe I did when I was younger, now I just want to act. I went on Strictly because dancing makes me happy,” Bobby told the Sunday Times Magazine.
“I don’t want to be famous. Maybe I did when I was younger, now I just want to act. I went on Strictly because dancing makes me happy.”
Read more: Bobby Brazier on behind-the-scenes struggles during Strictly: ‘I only felt peace when I came home’
Catch Jeff and Bobby on Celebrity Gogglebox tonight (July 5) at 9pm on Channel 4.
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