Bobby Brazier — things you didn't know about the Strictly and EastEnders star

EastEnders star Bobby Brazier is swapping soapland for sequins to take part in Strictly Come Dancing 2023. 

The actor and model was the 12th star to be unveiled in the Strictly 2023 line-up and while he is already a firm favourite with soap fans, here are a few things you may not know about this hot young talent...

Bobby Brazier was born into fame

Bobby Jack Brazier was born on June 2, 2003, in Portland Hospital, a private maternity hospital in the heart of London. 

Young Bobby was perhaps always destined for fame given his celebrity genes. His dad is the TV presenter Jeff Brazier, and Bobby's mum is the late Jade Goody, who shot to fame as a housemate in the 2002 series of Big Brother. 

At the time of Bobby's birth, Jade was one of the most recognized women in Britain, and he made his first public appearance in OK! Magazine at under a month old. 

Bobby was raised in Harlow, Essex, and has a younger brother Freddie, who is 18 years old.

He suffered tragedy at a young age

Bobby spent his first years in the spotlight due to his mum's celebrity status. As well as regularly featuring in glossy magazine shoots, he and his younger brother Freddie also appeared in Jade's reality TV series on Sky Living. 

Sadly tragedy struck in 2008 when Jade was diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer. After a brave and public battle against the disease, she passed away on March 22, 2009, aged just 27.

Bobby, who bears a striking resemblance to Jade, was only five years old when she died and admits he doesn't remember much about the time they shared together. 

In an interview with The Times he explained: "I'm always being told about her and what she meant to people. I guess I know my mum through other people's memories."

After Jade's passing, Bobby and Freddie went to live with their father, who made the decision to keep them out of the public eye.

Bobby has an incredibly close bond with Jeff and credits his 'strong' dad for giving him belief in himself. 

He was spotted by a modelling scout in a coffee shop

Before joining the cast of EastEnders, Bobby was making waves in the modelling world. 

But his catwalk career happened purely by chance. 

At 16, Bobby was suspended from school three times in a fortnight. A pep talk with his dad in a coffee shop before meeting his headmaster led to a life-changing meeting with model scout Cesar Perin.

Recalling his encounter with The Face, Bobby shared: “On the way out of Costa, (the casting agent) ran up behind me and gave me his card. Then I went into this meeting with my headmaster with a big smile on my face!"

After being put on the books at Cesar's agency, Unsigned Group, Bobby made his runway debut in January 2020, modeling for Dolce & Gabbana at Milan Fashion Week. 

Since then he's walked at both London and Paris Fashion Weeks, shot a campaign for Tommy Hilfiger and featured in esteemed fashion titles such as MMScene, Odda, Schon and Man About Town.

EastEnders is his first acting gig

It might be hard to believe, but Bobby had zero acting experience prior landing the role of Freddie Slater in EastEnders. 

Speaking on Good Morning Britain the day after his onscreen debut, Bobby revealed: "This is different to anything I've done. I've never acted before. I've been thrown in the deep end a little bit, but I'd like to say I'm swimming. There were nerves, but everyone made me feel comfortable straight away, literally from the first scene."

He's not ready to settle down 

Handsome Bobby likes to play his cards close to his chest when it comes to his love life.

He was previously romantically linked to fellow model Liberty Love and was papped looking cozy with his former EastEnders co-star Danielle Harold (who played Lola Pearce). 

But like most young lads his age, Bobby isn't in any hurry to get serious with someone. "I don't know if I'm ready for a girlfriend," he admitted to The Times.

"I’m scared that I’ll let someone down or do something wrong in a relationship, and when there’s an added pressure it feels too overwhelming. When something becomes serious I can’t deal with it.

"My relationship with people is so beautiful until we start thinking about the future or the past. How we feel now is all we need to worry about.”

He's very spiritual

Bobby's big on the importance of personal growth and starts his day at 5 am with breathing exercises, chanting and 10-20 minutes of meditation. 

The actor embarked on his own spiritual journey during the Covid pandemic of 2020, details of which he shared on Radhika Das's podcast For Soul's Sake.

"I always knew I had good qualities and I always respected those things about myself. But as a teenager and by the time I'd finished school I'd really lost sight of those things and I'd gradually turned into a person I didn't respect so much," Bobby revealed.

"Then coronavirus hit and it was perfect timing because I had two years of solitude to just look at myself." 

In an Instagram story, Bobby told his 180,000 followers: "I know where happiness is and I know where happiness is not. And my relationship with God is absolutely where everything I'm looking for, always have been looking for, and always will be looking for lies. Nowhere else."

He has a sweet tooth

Bobby's guilty pleasure is that old-school classic dessert, strawberry trifle.

In fact, he loves the pud so much that if he could invent anything it would be a strawberry trifle maker. 

Bobby describes his perfect night in as: "Some incense burning, some Erykah Badu on, meditate in and out and have some nice fruit and..."

Yes, you've guessed it — strawberry trifle! 

Bobby Brazier's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the actor...

Instagram: @bobbybrazier

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.