Jeff Brazier reveals his bereavement book has given him ‘a purpose’ after the tragic death of ex-girlfriend Jade Goody
The 37-year-old has had to raise his two sons from his relationship with the late Big Brother star since her death in 2009
The 37-year-old has had to raise his two sons from his relationship with the late Big Brother star since her death in 2009
JEFF Brazier feels he has found a "purpose" after writing a book about grief and becoming a bereavement counsellor.
The TV star has had to deal with his fair share of heartbreak and pain after his former girlfriend, Jade Goody, passed away in 2009 following a battle with cervical cancer.
While the couple were no longer together at the time of her death, Jeff was left to raise their two sons, Bobby and Freddie by himself and during an appearance on This Morning on Wednesday, he explained why he had decided to write his book and train as a bereavement counsellor.
He told Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby: "I’ve been a life coach for three, four years and most of my clients are bereaved because I think they have seen how I have dealt with things publicly and I guess they think 'if anyone is going to understand me, it’s this guy'.
"But what you don’t know is I’m currently writing a book, a guide to bereavement so this will be released in summer and what I’ve done is encapsulate my own experience of bereavement but also many of the stories and the lessons I’ve learned through a lot of my clients.
"It’s all invaluable to someone who is in that situation and it will just be the guide, the practical step by step for that time."
Phillip observed that his new projects are a world away from his TV work, but Jeff insisted he loves doing both things.
He said: "I obviously still keep both things going side by side but in terms of the purpose I love it, I absolutely love it and every minute of helping people."
However the star also opened up about some of the difficulties he has had with his sons as they grow up and adjust to not having their mother in their lives any more.
After a caller during the phone in said her son had been struggling at school following the death of his dad and having to go for counselling during class time, Jeff revealed his eldest son Bobby had been in the same situation.
He said: "It’s exactly the same as Bobby and I made exactly the same mistake in that he hated that everyone knew that the knock on the door and ‘Bobby can you come out’ meant he was about to go and talk about his mum.
"What I learned is why doesn’t the counsellor come to the house so that there’s no fear of that knock on the door.
"Counselling is exactly the way forward but maybe we need to do it at a different time."