Jeff Brazier admits 'shame' over mistake he made with son Freddy (2025)

Jeff Brazier says he's now trying to be more 'playful' with his sons Bobby Brazier and younger son Freddy, after realising he was missing out on some of their childhood

Jeff Brazier has opened up about his experience on Celebrity Race Across the World, admitting that his competitive nature led him to feel "ashamed" for not fully embracing the journey with his son Freddy.

On the show, Jeff and Freddy embarked on a mammoth 12,500-kilometre trek from Belem in Northern Brazil to Frutillar at the southernmost point of Chile.

Jeff confessed that his determination to outdo fellow celebrities Kelly Brook and her husband Jeremy, Scott Mills and his husband Sam, and Kola Bokinni and his cousin Mary Ellen, meant he overlooked some incredible sights and experiences.

The 45-year-old admitted that he felt he still had "something to prove," and as a result, sacrificed once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in pursuit of victory.

Speaking on the Inside A Mind podcast, as reported by the Mirror, ahead of his appearance on Pilgrimage: The Road Through the Alps this week, Jeff expressed regret over his choices: "I was so competitive, to the point where ......at the end... you think 'Why didn't I go to the Iguazú Falls? Why didn't I go to Curitiba and do that incredible railway journey through the mountains?"

He added: "It didn't make sense that I'd chosen to just go more direct because it was more important not to lose ground. I felt a bit ashamed of that, and I felt like there was no logic involved in that whatsoever."

Jeff's competitive spirit saw him and Freddy clinch the second and third legs of the competition, but they ended up in third place overall, with Scott and Sam taking the crown.

The father-of-two is now "adjusting" his outlook on life, vowing not to repeat the same mistakes.

He reveals that this is just one of the shifts he's trying to make in his mindset, expressing concern that he's at risk of losing a crucial bond with his two sons, Freddy and Bobby.

"I'd lost the ability to be playful with my kids," he admits, "maybe because they're growing up ... rolling around on the floor with them was less feasible.

"But actually being playful is a habit and a way of being ... you can be in that headspace at any moment. Race helped me realise that I could return to being more playful, which is definitely something that I've worked on."

Another matter currently occupying Jeff's mind is his legal dispute with Jackiey Budden, his sons' grandmother.

He allegedly attempted to prevent Jackiey, mother of his late ex Jade Goody, from seeing the boys, arguing that, in his view she was negatively impacting their mental health.

Although he hasn't directly addressed the issue, when questioned about whether the recent attention on his family has caused difficulties, he succinctly states: "All we really know how to do is to pull together and be there for one another...and I think that's what we do best, and that's what all good families do."

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