Jeff Brazier’s former mother-in-law, Jackiey Budden, has spoken out following his recent split from PR executive Kate Dwyer, saying she always knew “it would not work.”
Budden, whose daughter was the late reality star Jade Goody, suggested that Jeff may have believed marrying Kate would make life “easier,” but that this expectation did not materialize. She also claimed the marriage contributed to a strain between Jeff and his sons.
Jeff and Kate originally met in 2013 while working on ITV’s This Morning.
Jeff Brazier and Kate Dwyer married in Portugal five years after they met, with Jeff’s two sons from a previous relationship, Bobby and Freddy, acting as joint best men.
Jackiey Budden has claimed that the marriage is “the root” of her strained relationship with Jeff, telling the Daily Mail: “They’re my grandsons after all… and that’s the root of why Jeff and I don’t really get on.”
Jackiey Budden said of her involvement with Jeff’s sons: “When I tried to be involved in the boys’ upbringing he wasn’t interested. Maybe he thought that by marrying Kate it would make things easier, but I always felt that it would not work.”
Jeff, 46, was seen without his wedding ring while reporting from Reykjavik on Monday’s GMB, and Kate reportedly removed hers during a trip to Las Vegas for the Grand Prix. The Sun reports that Kate has returned to her Hackney flat following the couple’s separation after a reportedly “year of hell” that saw them grow apart.
The pair married in September 2018, creating a blended family with Jeff’s sons, Bobby and Freddy. Sources say the past year was challenging for both partners, with the boys never fully accepting Kate. A source told the Daily Mail: “Jeff desperately wanted to portray the perfect family and had always hoped that Kate could fill the void left by Jade Goody – but Bobby and Freddy never truly accepted her as ‘stepmum.’ To them, she was always ‘Dad’s partner’ rather than someone they felt truly connected to.”
Despite publicly appearing happy and sharing family moments on social media, Jeff and Kate reportedly had a fiery relationship behind the scenes. The source added: “This is far from their first split, and some of the rows have been pretty ugly away from the cameras.”