Bobby Brazier was famous even before he was born. His parents, the television stars Jade Goody and Jeff Brazier, announced his impending arrival in an interview for OK! magazine, and when Brazier was barely a month old, he appeared on his first magazine cover. Later he and his younger brother Freddie occasionally popped up on Goody’s Sky reality show. Still, watching the 20-year-old on Strictly Come Dancing has been like seeing a star emerge. His mix of cheerfulness and childlike enthusiasm, combined with his striking features and rangy foal-like limbs, is a small joy.
His months on Strictly have crowned a meteoric ascent. Brazier joined EastEnders late last year as Freddie Slater, and won a National Television award for his role in September – the same month he joined Strictly. In October, he appeared on the cover of Grazia, and the Daily Mail quoted sources describing him as the big hope of the BBC, in the broadcaster’s attempt to bring in younger viewers. “Bobby dazzles, and so did his mum,” says Lucie Cave, the author, presenter and editor-in-chief of Heat magazine. “He is the perfect blend of both his parents – he has taken on Jeff’s grounded, zen nature, while embodying Jade’s endearing innocence, charm and excitement about the world around him. There’s a real purity and humility about him that is rare in a young star.”
