It’s obvious from the family photos on social media that Jeff Brazier is doing an amazing job with his two sons – and now, he is sharing his advice with other parents and families who have been touched by loss.
The presenter, who has two sons with the late Big Brother star Jade Goody, is opening up ahead of the release of his new book, The Grief Survival Guide: How to Navigate Loss and All That Comes With It.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline.com, the 38-year-old spoke about one of the toughest parts of the writing process: recalling the moment he had to tell Bobby and Freddy that Jade had passed away.
“I knew I had to be the one to tell Bobby and Freddy, but I wasn’t sure how to do it. I waited until bedtime and called them outside,” he recalled.
“In the end, I didn’t have to say anything because the stars were out and they said, ‘Is that one Mummy?’ They knew.”
Jade passed away in March 2009, after being diagnosed with cervical cancer the previous August. Jeff revealed that the boys struggled at times, naturally, in the wake of their devastating loss.
The father-of-two was candid about some of the more difficult moments: “When they say to you, ‘I wish you were dead, and not Mummy’, there’s not a lot that can save you from being utterly knocked out.
“But, as emotions simmer down, you realise that none of that is ever meant to hurt me; it is always to show me how hurt they are.”
While counselling has helped his sons to different degrees (Freddy stuck with it for a number of years), Jeff has gone to great lengths to ensure his sons got the right support after Jade’s death.
Previously, he revealed that keeping her memory alive has been important, and they do so with special family rituals for occasions such as Christmas and the late star’s anniversary.
Jeff is hoping to help families everywhere with his new book. He is quick to assert himself as ‘someone who has been through it’, however, as opposed to an ‘expert’.
“There’s the value of grief which differs from one person to the next, then vitally, there’s what we personally add to it or what the grief combines with, that ultimately decides which journey through grief we experience,” he previously explained.
“Writing this book has brought me a privileged view not only of grief in its entirety but how we react as humans when processing loss.”
The book is due out this week.
