Jeff and Bobby Brazier have teamed up to raise funds for cancer research by appearing on Celebrity Gogglebox.
The father-son duo are set to appear on Friday night’s show – a Stand Up To Cancer special – where they detail the impact the disease has had on their family.
Bobby, 20, was only five-years-old when his mother Jade Goody died aged 27, following a very public battle with cervical cancer. His brother Freddie was just four.
Jeff, 44, and Jade had split by the time of her passing but he has dedicated his life to helping others by talking openly about grief and mental health.
Speaking about their decision to support Stand Up To Cancer, Jeff noted that it’s a cause ‘incredibly close’ to their hearts.
Good cause: Jeff and Bobby Brazier have teamed up to raise funds for cancer research by appearing on Celebrity Gogglebox
Heartbreaking: Bobby, 20, was only five-years-old when his mother Jade Goody died aged 27, following a very public battle with cervical cancer. His brother Freddie was just four (pictured in 2006)
He explained: ‘We understand first-hand the impact cancer has on families.
‘Doing Celebrity Gogglebox for Stand Up To Cancer is supporting a cause that’s incredibly close to our hearts.
‘Cancer affects so many lives, and it’s crucial to keep raising awareness and funds for research.
‘Through laughter and shared moments, we hope to inspire others to stand up to cancer with us, knowing that every contribution brings us closer to beating this terrible disease.’
Bobby added: ‘I’m really looking forward to being on Celebrity Gogglebox with my dad.
‘It’s for a great cause, I can’t wait to just sit down in front to the TV and relax for once. It’s been a long time since we’ve sat in front of the TV and done nothing together.’
Jeff and Jade split in 2004, not long after their second son, Freddie, now 19, was born.
Some will remember Bobby and Freddie making cherubic appearances as page boys at their mother’s wedding to boyfriend Jack Tweed just a month before she died in 2009.
After their mother’s death, Bobby and Freddie went to live with their father, who made significant changes to their lifestyle.
Out went the celebrity photoshoots – he didn’t even permit the boys to attend Jade’s very public funeral – and in came a more considered response to their upbringing.
Strict legal notices were sent to the Press requesting privacy for the boys so they could grow up away from the glare of publicity.
Jeff raised them single-handedly, before his marriage to PR executive Kate Dwyer in 2018. Today, the brothers credit her for helping to bring them up.
Jeff explained: ‘We understand first-hand the impact cancer has on families. ‘Doing Celebrity Gogglebox for Stand Up To Cancer is supporting a cause that’s incredibly close to our hearts’
Romance: Jeff and Jade split in 2004, not long after their second son, Freddie was born and he has dedicated his life to helping others by talking openly about grief (pictured 2002)
Now, 15 years on, Bobby is back in the spotlight, and after landing a role in EastEnders he is now delighting the nation with a stint on Strictly Come Dancing.
Sources say the BBC is so keen to see Bobby make it to the final that they want him to put his all into the show.
‘Bobby is a superstar and everyone at the BBC knows that,’ said an insider.
‘The BBC knew the nation would fall in love with him and would follow every moment of his Strictly journey.
‘But it can be really tough doing the show alongside filming for EastEnders, especially in the run-up to Christmas, and it is exhausting.
‘The fact EastEnders have let Bobby off means he has a much better chance of winning Strictly, which is the aim here.’
Some might say the broadcaster has, in effect, skewed the playing field for Bobby’s victory – but, still, there’s no question that this is a role he is more than ready for.
Bobby says he doesn’t have many memories of Jade, ‘because I was so young when she died’.
That said, he admits she gave him a taste for the spotlight, which he says he dreamt about from a young age.
‘I think that as a kid it’s all I wanted,’ he said. ‘I was desperate for that when I was younger. I spent so much time making myself ready because I started to believe that could happen and I could have that.
‘When I was 14, 15 – even 12 – I remember having thoughts like that, desires like that. I spent a lot of my childhood just wishing for attention.’
On screen: 15 years on from the death of his mother Bobby is back in the spotlight and delighting the nation with a stint on Strictly Come Dancing (pictured with Dianne Buswell)
Losing his mother when he was so young could well have destroyed him, but Bobby appears to be the epitome of happiness.
‘I’m always dancing around the house and what not,’ he revealed.
He has much to be happy about, as he is, say those close to him, on the verge of becoming a millionaire.
Celebrity Gogglebox will appear as part of Stand Up To Cancer on Friday, November 3 on Channel 4 from 7pm.
To donate whatever you can call 0300 123 4444 or text £40 £30 £20 or £10 text FORTY, THIRTY, TWENTY or TEN to 70404. For more information and to donate online visit Channel4.com/SU2C