Jeff Brazier admits he could never replace Jade Goody in emotional confession

Jeff Brazier became emotional as he opened up about how the absence of Jade Goody has affected their son Freddy's addiction and mental health battle.

The 22-year-old, who is the son of late Jade Goody, has endured difficult years battling cannabis addiction and mental health issues, including psychosis.

Freddy was also admitted to hospital and even spent his 18th birthday in a psychiatric ward.

READ MORE: Freddy Brazier attends mother's memorial alongside grandmother Jackiey

Jeff recently appeared on Matt Willis's podcast, On The Mend, where he spoke about the challenges he has faced as a father while helping his sons grieve the loss of their mother.

The boys came to live with Jeff after Jade's death, and he admitted that he struggled in the early days because his sons, who were just four and five at the time, hadn't cried.

He said: 'I was worried that in the early stages, they hadn't really done some of the things that I was expecting them to. It took till maybe eight or nine months in for them to actually really fall apart. 

'That's when I think it really began in that I recognised very quickly that I couldn't be the answer to these overgrown sort of bouts of emotion and bad behaviour.'

Jeff added: 'I try to do as much as I can, but you can never replace. I didn't ever try and replace her.

'And I think a lot of people maybe get it wrong when they say, "You've been mum and dad". I think that I feel disrespectful to Jade if I ever acknowledge that and said, "Yeah, thank you". I was the dad. I could only play that role.

'Her void is felt on a daily basis because our family is far from perfect. We've got a lot of challenges that we still face to this day.' 

Jade died of cervical cancer on Mother's Day in 2009, leaving behind her sons, Freddy and Bobby, 23, respectively.

READ MORE: Jeff and Freddy Brazier put on brave faces after both face fresh heartbreak