Jeff Brazier put his marriage to Kate Dwyer ‘ahead of his relationship with his sons’, the boys’ grandmother revealed today as it was revealed the TV host has split from the PR consultant.
The GMB presenter, 46, and Ms Dwyer are understood to have permanently separated with both moving into new homes separately in recent weeks.
Now Brazier’s former mother-in-law, Jackiey Budden – whose famous daughter Jade died aged 29 in 2007 – has spoken about how his decision to marry Dwyer was the cause of a bitter rift that has seen him fall out with her and his sons.
Brazier and Ms Dwyer, 35, met in 2013 while working on the set of ITV’s This Morning and married in Portugal five years later, with his two sons from his previous relationship, Bobby, 22, and Freddy, 21, serving as joint best men.
But their relationship had since been dogged by problems – leading them to separate for seven months in 2022 and to finally split for good this autumn.
And Ms Budden, 68, today claimed that the couple’s issues have caused wider rifts among both extended families and the marriage was ‘the worst choice Jeff has ever made’.
TV host Jeff Brazier ‘s second marriage to PR consultant Kate Dwyer sparked a bitter family feud and was always doomed to fail, his sons’ grandmother Jackiey Budden revealed today
The GMB presenter, 46, and Ms Dwyer are understood to have permanently separated with both moving into new homes separately in recent weeks
Ms Budden – whose former son-in-law had previously threatened legal action over her dealings with her grandsons – told The Daily Mail today that she was relieved his second marriage was over for good.
She said: ‘I am pleased that his marriage is over because it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. So, yes, I am genuinely pleased.
‘Jeff chose to put his relationship with Kate Dwyer ahead of the one he had with his own sons.
‘They’re my grandsons after all….and that’s the root of why Jeff and I don’t really get on.
‘When I tried to be involved in the boys’ upbringing he wasn’t interested.
‘Maybe he thought that by marrying Kate that it would make things easier but I always felt that it would not work.
‘I always knew that trouble was brewing there and I remember saying to Bobby: ‘watch this space’ because I knew their relationship couldn’t last.
‘And I was right: they have dated, split up, got back together, married, separated again.
Brazier and Ms Dwyer, 35, met in 2013 while working on the set of ITV ‘s This Morning and married in Portugal five years later, with his two sons from his previous relationship, Bobby, 22, and Freddy, 21, serving as joint best men
‘If this break is for good this time then he will be better off for it.
‘Jeff will now have his life back. He will have his family again and the friends he no longer saw.
‘Don’t get me wrong I can’t stand the man [Jeff] but I’m happy for him because he will have a completely different life now and a happier and healthier one.
‘That second marriage was the worst choice he’s ever made.’.
She said that Jeff had particularly riled her by not making Mother’s Day all about his deceased ex-wife.
She said: ‘Even on Mother’s Day for goodness sake. That was supposed to be Jade’s day.’
She also claimed that a reported legal case against her had never amounted to anything, saying: ‘That was a load of garbage. He’s never served papers. He’s full of sh*t.’
Jackiey said that Jeff had particularly riled her by not making Mother’s Day all about his deceased ex-wife, her daughter Jade Goody (pictured with Bobby and Freddy in 2006)
The suggestion had been that Brazier was considering taking legal action to block access between his sons and their maternal grandmother in a bid to ‘keep them safe’.
Freddy, who is expecting his first child with on/off girlfriend Holly Swinburn, claimed Jackiey got him hooked on drugs, before appearing to reveal he had tragically ‘tried to end it all’ by ‘crashing his car’ in the middle of a ‘manic episode’.
Jeff recently shared snaps from a new countryside property as he detailed the ‘transitional time’ in his life and how he was ‘living in calm’.
Jeff was seen without his wedding ring while reporting from Reykjavik on Monday’s GMB, while Kate too reportedly ditched her band after heading to Las Vegas for the Grand Prix.
According to The Sun Kate has returned to her flat in Hackney after growing apart from Jeff amid Freddy’s struggles.
The Daily Mail has contacted Jeff’s representatives for comment.
In June amid the family feud Freddy appeared to take a swipe at Kate as he listed things he hates with ‘step parents’ being one of them.
Last year the publicist admitted she ‘felt like a failure’ in her marriage to Jeff before realising every couple has their struggles, following their reconciliation.
Jackiey said ‘I am pleased that his marriage is over because it shouldn’t have happened in the first place Jeff chose to put his relationship ahead of the one he had with his own sons’
Jeff was seen without his wedding ring while reporting from Reykjavik on Monday’s GMB (pictured)
She gave her thoughts on marriage after being asked by a follower for advice on how to get theirs back on track.
She replied: ‘I think we are all guilty of portraying only the good bits on social media. Anyone who says marriage and raising kids is easy is lying in my opinion. I felt like such a failure until I realised everyone has their struggles.
‘I would never share the details of our relationship, but the one thing I am grateful for is that my husband is just as willing to put the work into himself and the relationship as I am. You can’t ask for anything more than that.’
Freddy revealed in August that he would be welcoming his first child and vowed to turn his life around and patch up his relationship with his father.
The influencer lost his mother, Jade, when he was just four years old after she died from cervical cancer on Mother’s Day in 2009.
More recently, Freddy confessed to starving himself and replacing food with ‘green’, which is a street name for the drug cannabis.
Alongside a photo of his grandmother Jackiey, he wrote: ‘Prioritised my relationship with my mum’s mum not knowing she has been lying to me for years!’
Recently Jeff’s son Freddy confessed to starving himself and replacing food with ‘green’, which is a street name for the drug cannabis
He recently wrote alongside a photo of his grandmother Jackiey: ‘Prioritised my relationship with my mum’s mum not knowing she has been lying to me for years!’
Freddy included a video of himself walking along a street in a dressing gown, following by a short clip of an ambulance with the caption: ‘Had episode after episode. Til I got sectioned and spent my 18th in a psychiatric ward.’
Over the weekend, Freddy has appeared to reveal he tragically ‘tried to end it all’ over two years ago by ‘crashing his car’ in the middle of a ‘manic episode’.
He took to TikTok to bravely share a video explaining his heartbreaking journey, with a generated voiceover sharing the extent of the model’s mental health struggles.
In the video, Freddy told his followers that he spent his 18th birthday ‘in a psychiatric ward,’ but realised after that ‘something needed to change’.
