Latest news with #brotherhood
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Dear Richard Madeley: ‘I don't want to admit my bully of a big brother was right all along'
Dear Richard, I've always had an uneasy relationship with my brother. He is three years older than me and a bit of a bully. We are now in our 60s. About 20 years ago, he was given a nice Georgian desk by his godmother. At about the same time he moved abroad and left a lot of his stuff, including the desk, in our parents' attic, as did I with a number of my possessions. When my parents had to sell their house two years ago, I moved my things from their attic to mine. But when my brother showed up to do the same, an almighty row erupted: he accused me of taking his desk and demanded it be returned. I was absolutely certain that I had not taken it; he was absolutely certain that I had. He went overseas again and we haven't spoken since. My dilemma is this: I've just been up to the loft and what should I find but – you guessed it – his desk. Perhaps my son, who's not party to the saga, moved it – or perhaps it was a senior moment on my part. My wife is proposing various elaborate scenarios in which we photograph the desk in the window of a charity shop or simply take it to the tip. I'm in no hurry to restore it to him, but I don't like to think of it up in the attic, silently throbbing with bad vibes. I don't see an outcome where we use this to 'heal' our relationship; I just want a minimum of drama. What's your take on 'the affair of the escritoire'? — P, via Dear P, I'm afraid you're not going to like it. But however unpleasant and overbearing your brother may be, there is one simple fact here. He was right. You did take his desk. It's not relevant whether you remember doing it, or if your son got it muddled with your other things – his desk is in your attic. He called it correctly – and no wonder he was angry when you flatly and repeatedly denied it. I certainly don't think you should play silly games. And as for throwing it on to the nearest tip... I hope you're not even remotely serious, P. No. Your course is clear. Write to him and make a clean breast of things. Tell him his godmother's gift did somehow find its way into your attic, you're extremely sorry, you apologise unreservedly, and ask him how he would like it returned. He may remain the S-H-one-T you describe him as – but you're better than that, aren't you? And you'll have done the right thing.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Troubled Freddy Brazier heartbreakingly reveals he 'misses the bond' he had with brother Bobby amid fractious relationship with his dad Jeff
Freddy Brazier has admitted he 'misses the bond' he shared with older brother Bobby in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Monday. The Race Across The World star, 20, posted throwback videos as he reminisced about the good times he and Bobby, 22, shared during the coronavirus. One video Freddy posted saw the Brazier brothers bashing their heads against a pumpkin on a farm. He wrote: 'Only thing I miss about Covid is the amount of time I had with my brother to bond and make memories and have a laugh.' In another post, Freddy and Bobby larked around in the kitchen in a video while dad Jeff cooked dinner. Bobby, who has immersed himself in the movement at the Hare Krishna HQ, has been enjoying the religion's peaceful outlook at Soho's Hare Krishna HQ. The Mail revealed that Bobby has turned to the organisation – which follows a branch of the Hindu faith – after relations became strained between him and his father, TV presenter Jeff. So difficult did things become between the pair that Bobby moved out of Jeff's Essex home into his own Soho apartment, which is near to the Hare Krishna temple. Jeff, resident parental expert on ITV 's This Morning, had cheered on his son for all his worth every week at Strictly. He also told Strictly viewers how strong their relationship was. But in truth, communication between the two has been scant. Meanwhile Freddy's difficulties with his father were apparently heightened when he tried to deepen his relationship with his grandmother, Jade's mum Jackiey Budden. Freddy, who starred with his dad on BBC1 show Celebrity Race Across The World, currently lives with his grandmother, despite his father's objections. The 20-year-old also admitted to smoking cannabis with his grandmother. While Freddy's rebellion is public, noisy and erratic, Bobby's is the polar opposite – yet perhaps no less hurtful for his father. Friends revealed to the Mail that Bobby, although no wild child, has been just as happy to push away his relatives as Freddy. Those relatives include Jeff's wife Kate Dwyer – who both boys have had 'ups and downs' with, according to those who know the family. And while Bobby may not be trading insults with his dad publicly, like his younger brother, he is also seeking to distance himself from Jeff, who Freddy accused of being controlling. A source close to the family said: 'Bobby's always had a spiritual side, but this is intentional. It's clear he's trying to leave all the fighting and noise behind. 'Freddy's rebellion is loud – drugs, public slanging matches and legal battles about his nana – while Bobby's is quiet. But actually it's just as defiant. 'He's turning his back on the life his Dad created for them in Essex and following his own path.' Bobby's Hare Krishna practice appears to be no fad. A volunteer said: 'He's here every Saturday without fail, he joins our kitchen session, learns the prayers – this isn't a gimmick.' Freddy lost his mother Jade Goody when he was just four years old after she died from cervical cancer in 2009, and has since been raised by his dad Jeff. Jackiey and Jeff have clashed multiple times over the years, and it was revealed earlier this year that the TV star is taking action in an attempt to legally block contact between his son and his grandmother, 'to keep him safe'. Mail On Sunday revealed that Freddy, who was restricted from seeing Jackiey by his dad after he filed court paperwork, spent time last month at her home in Bermondsey, after reuniting despite his father's efforts to keep his son away. Family friends say the duo remain 'extremely close,' explaining: 'Jeff was never going to keep Freddy away from his Nanny for very long – they've always had a strong bond Jeff may hate her for all sorts of reasons going back many years, but Freddy loves her very much... 'They had a great time together, playing with her dog and catching up at her flat – where he has often stayed over the years... 'Whatever Jeff hoped to achieve with his legal efforts, it hasn't worked.'
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Warwickshire man says Viking support group boosts mental health
A man says a global mental health support group that "channels the Viking state of being" has helped him to feel less alone. The Midgard Vikings Brotherhood aims to provide a space for men to come together and support each other to overcome difficulties they face. Kevin Lyndon from Bulkington, Warwickshire, joined the group six months ago after struggling to balance friendships and family are encouraged to display the values of "the Viking way", such as respecting one another, forging strong bonds, and growing facial hair. And that, Mr Lyndon said, had created "an open and happy place", where making friends and fundraising for charity had "a fantastic effect" on mental health. Mr Lyndon said the group regularly chatted on instant messaging platforms, about all sorts of topics. "There's people from all walks of life, with all different hobbies so there is always someone there who you can reach out to and talk to," he added."You go on there and have a bit of a rant and find out there's 50 or 60 other people in the same boat as you."You know it's not you, you're not failing, it's something that everybody is going through." He said the group "offered comfort", as well as "camaraderie, brotherhood and banter".Mr Lyndon recently met some of his fellow Brotherhood members for the first time at a gig in Blackpool. "It was nice to finally meet them but I felt like I'd known them all my life and we instantly clicked."He added that the support group planned to host a gathering for members from across the world in York next year and said the only requirement to join the group was "any type of facial hair". Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Times
27-06-2025
- General
- Times
Joe Wicks: ‘We had a chaotic childhood — Dad was a heroin addict'
I'm one of three boys. Mum met my dad and had Nikki at 17, me 18 months later, then my brother George ten years after that. We grew up in Epsom, Surrey, in a chaotic home. Both my parents suffered with poor mental health: Dad was a heroin addict and Mum had eating disorders and OCD. It was quite unstable. Nikki and I are both emotional but we have different personalities — I'm quite reactive and impulsive, while Nikki is calmer, more considered. He's very sensitive and really caring. If anything happens in my life he's my first port of call aside from my wife, Rosie. When we were teenagers we argued a lot. There were times I'd irritate him or grass him up for coming home late. But when Nikki was 18 he spent the summer working in the States, supervising students at Camp America. I really missed him. When he came back our arguing and annoying each other had dissipated. We realised we were brothers and we needed each other. From that point we had a strong bond. Saying that, we did have a huge row in 2009. It was on a cycling trip from Madrid to Barcelona, over a lilo I'd got for Nikki to sleep on. It wasn't a punching fight but I was on top and we were just screaming. He went off to ring Mum; I was ringing her too. It was a pivotal moment because we got all that childish aggression out. I've never raised my voice or been angry like that since. We might have a little row on the phone if I feel like my ideas get shot down, but we don't hold grudges. • Joe Wicks: 'I would have turned to drugs without exercise' My first connection with fitness and dealing with stress was when I was about nine. Rather than get angry and bottle things up, I thought I'd run around instead, do a karate club, anything. It was an instant shift. It calmed me down and gave me something to focus on. In 2012 I did a personal training course. I borrowed £2,000 off my mum, then my dad lent me £1,500 to get my equipment. I did my first fitness boot camp in Richmond — it was friends, family and one other person who didn't come back. I had a bike and trailer and would cycle there, five miles from home. I thought, 'If I can have boot camps in Surbiton, Cobham and Clapham and a few trainers working for me, that would be wonderful.' That was as far as my vision went. It was weeks before it got any traction. I remember sitting on the carpet one day and I burst into tears. I said, 'Dad, no one came — I'm never going to pay that money back.' Nikki could see I was deflated. It would be seven in the morning, pissing with rain, I'd just walked in the house and he would be, like, 'Did anyone turn up today?' He could see how hard it was for me. Nikki was working on a magazine in Singapore in 2014 when I started to take off on social media. I asked if he'd come back and help me. He had reservations about mixing business and family, but he came home and became my social media manager. Now he's my manager, agent and CEO. He's an amazing leader. I trust him with my life and he has given me the freedom to do what I love and be with Rosie and our children, Indie, six, Marley, five, Leni, two, and Dusty, one. We're really proud we're self-funded — and we've got to this point because we've worked hard. In the year after the first lockdown began in March 2020, my YouTube channel PE with Joe got 100 million views globally. We still get two million views a month. • Joe Wicks: Anti-obesity drugs are a temporary fix I had no idea I was going to build this big brand, but we've done it together as brothers. Nikki asks me the questions no one else is asking. Hand on heart, half the success you see is me, half is Nikki. Joe and I have such different memories of childhood. It's almost like two different lives. Joe was wild and fearless, while I was anxious and scared of everything. I used to think the police were going to come and take us away. I was very aware of what was going on with our parents but I don't think Joe was. When he did the BBC documentary Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood, that was the first time he'd spent proper time thinking back. But I understood when I was young that my dad had problems with addiction. I'd know instantly if he'd used and would try not to let Mum find out. I'm 41 now and realise I took on the role of protecting everyone. As kids Joe and I were inseparable. We were both naughty and we had no boundaries. We'd play 'knock down ginger', go out at eight o'clock in the morning and come back at eight o'clock at night. We had the same friends and all the same things, but in different colours — we were obsessed with the Ninja Turtles. And we fought constantly. I've got two boys and I've realised being together and fighting is weirdly a sign of closeness. At Camp America I really missed Joe. When I came back it was like a switch had been flipped. We lived with Dad in his flat for a while. I was working as a journalist on the London Olympics and Joe was doing his boot camps, and he would come home at 7am as I was getting up. I remember feeling sad for him when he said no one came. We were on a bike ride one evening when he said he'd thought of a name for his business: the Body Coach. I said, 'I love it.' • Joe Wicks: I've taken my five-year-old out of school When he asked me to come and help him, the question in my head was: if I don't, will he end up with someone who takes advantage? I told him I'd do the thing I'm good at, which is content — we'd set up a blog and a YouTube channel. My plan was to have my own content agency; but I never had time for any other clients. I say I'm an accidental CEO. We were building a tech team for the app and someone asked who they should report to. I told Joe, I think I need to be the CEO as people want to know who's running the company. We're both bad at acknowledging the impact of things we've done. When we did the HIIT workout world record in Hyde Park in 2017, almost 4,000 people came. I cried; his boot camps with no one there felt so recent. People would tell Mum, 'Your kids are going to end up in all sorts of trouble.' Even now it's a shock that Joe and I have been successful together. We've built this whole thing on our instincts. I was in his ear during PE with Joe, doing shout-outs and making sure the camera didn't cut out. He says his MBE is half mine, but I don't feel that. Joe never wanted to be famous. I think being a dad has changed him more. It's 13 years since he started and he is still talking about the same things he'd have said at his first boot Joe Wicks Festival at Kew is on July 6; For more information, visit Joe on NikkiNikki is unnaturally grumpy in the morning. I've learnt not to speak to him or make eye contact until he has downed his coffee Nikki on JoeJoe is annoyingly energised in the mornings. When we travel together he tries to get me up at 6am for a workout
Telegraph
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Remember Martin Offiah and Kyran Bracken? Their sons are flying with England U20s
The England Under-20 side call themselves a 'brotherhood', but it is worth tracing bloodlines back one generation. Jack Bracken and Tyler Offiah, who are both wingers, are demonstrating that sporting excellence runs – rather quickly – in the family. The former is the son of Kyran, a World Cup-winning scrum-half with England in 2003, and he acknowledges that the Bracken WhatsApp group has been pinging busily over recent days. Charlie, the oldest of three siblings, was called into Steve Borthwick's senior set-up for a training camp last week. 'It's amazing, we're incredibly proud of what he's achieved,' says Jack. 'It's thoroughly deserved, I think. He's shown what he can do this season and has got recognition for it.' Offiah, meanwhile, is making waves of his own. Martin's lad signed for Bath following the downfall of London Irish and has hit the ground sprinting. While he was inevitably nicknamed 'Mini Chariots' during his days at Wellington College, another moniker – 'Tryler' – is even catchier. 'That's my favourite,' admits the 18-year-old. Conversation between the pair is amusing yet full of mutual respect and compliments. They have faced one another twice in their fledgling careers so far. 'We played an academy match when Tyler was at Irish,' remembers Bracken. 'Yeah, we lost by a few,' says Offiah. 'I scored, actually; I got an interception.' 'It was a close game, but we ran away with it,' continues Bracken, who has progressed through the ranks at Saracens and is eying a Premiership debut. The duo need a reminder that Offiah was part of the Bath United team that beat England Under-20 42-33 back in January. 'So it's one-all at the moment,' Bracken states with a smile. Both were on the scoresheet as England dismissed Georgia 43-14 on Saturday in their last warm-up game ahead of the World Championship. Offiah scorched down the left flank to cap a slick first-phase strike move in the first half. Later on, having arrived from the bench, Bracken burst into midfield to set up England's third score with a beautiful offload before bagging the fifth himself. 'Bracken is very balanced through contact,' Offiah says. 'He's got a strong lower body, so even if he gets hit one way or the other, he can keep his balance, ride the tackles and use his pace to get out of the other end.' 'With Tyler, it's his ability to beat defenders, especially on an edge, using his pace,' Bracken counters. 'He seems to score an intercept just about every game, so that's definitely impressive.' Though these proteges are slightly different characters, with Offiah a touch more expressive, there are shared traits. For instance, there was no single moment that the success of their fathers dawned upon them. 'Since I've been a child, people have come up to my dad for pictures,' explains Offiah. 'It's been part of my life rather than one moment of realisation.' 'It's similar for me,' follows Bracken, born almost two years after the 2003 World Cup. 'Growing up, I've always been around a rugby environment and come to know he must have been a decent player. Then you see highlights and appreciate he must have been pretty good.' That is not to say that Kyran and Martin held their offspring in front of footage under duress. 'My dad posts his highlights on his Instagram,' Offiah shrugs. The picture they both paint is of constructive, encouraging influence. In Offiah's case, his appetite for finishing has been nurtured, too. 'It started when I was at Wellington, just thinking how I could get on the ball more and score more tries,' he says of a seminal chat with Martin, an icon of rugby league. 'We sat down and he got me to write down the different ways I'd seen people score. We spoke about how you could rate each one from a difficulty standpoint but also for entertainment value.' The Offiahs now place each of Tyler's tries on a scale that runs from one to five: 'Level one is a basic 'tap-in', maybe one in the corner when your team is on top and you dot it down. 'Level two is a finish one the edge, perhaps after beating someone. Level three is a support try, if you track on the inside and follow someone's line. Level four is a line-break, going through and beating the full-back. 'Level five is a special; catching a drop-out and going through everyone. You want to get your numbers up with ones and twos, but everyone remembers the fives.' It is noticeable that both naturally abbreviate 'the Prem', which will please the competition's executives given a re-brand is coming up. In another mark of their tender ages, Offiah and Bracken have leant on YouTube to hone aspects of their game. Interestingly, a shared role model is Chris Ashton. 'I didn't watch rugby until I was around 13 because I found it boring,' concedes Offiah, who trained with Wigan Warriors in December 2023 and would stay open to a code switch after a tilt at his ambitions in union. 'I couldn't be arsed to sit down and watch it until my dad forced me to. But when I started doing that, my idol became Anthony Watson. I think I saw a few similarities and aspired to be like him. There was also Chris Ashton; how he scored lots of tries and always wanted to be involved. It was hard to watch a Chris Ashton game without seeing a Chris Ashton try and I really liked that.' 'The first role model I remember is Chris Ashton from watching Sarries and England,' Bracken adds. 'He always seemed to have an impact on the game and his celebration stood out to me – not that it's something I'd try to copy – but his work-rate off the ball was always impressive. 'He wasn't necessarily the very quickest player but his fitness was special. Another player is Will Jordan and I'd like to think I see a bit of myself in his ability to play across the back three. He picks up so many touches a game and has an influence off the ball as well as on it.' A select few teenagers, such as Henry Pollock, who is still eligible for England U20 but will be with the British and Irish Lions this summer, rip through the ranks to the top level. Others must dot around to pick up game-time where they can. Offiah and Bracken have both represented their universities, Bath and Loughborough, this term. Premiership Cup campaigns are another opportunity to impress. Bracken has been loaned to Amtphill in the Championship as well, plundering four tries from full-back in a 54-43 victory over Cambridge. A week later, Offiah was brought off the Bath bench at Saracens. He found his way onto the scoresheet, notching a finish that probably categorised between levels one and two given he drifted cleverly on Orlando Bailey's long pass to outflank Tobias Elliott. A delighted Offiah bunched his hands into fists and crossed his arms to form an unmistakable 'T' in celebration. 'Scoring on my Prem debut against Sarries in Alex Goode's last game, playing against Lions like Elliot Daly and Maro Itoje… that's my biggest accomplishment and I was proud of myself that day.' Scoring tries runs in the Offiah family 🔥 Just 10 minutes into his #GallagherPrem debut Tyler Offiah, son of rugby league legend Martin, dotted down for @BathRugby in Round 18 👏 — Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 1, 2025 We can expect to hear more about both families in a sporting context. The youngest Bracken boy, Lachlan, is a fly-half in the Saracens nursery. Phoenix Offiah, just 15 and pursuing the round-ball route, is on the books at Tottenham. Ben Redshaw and Jack Cotgreave are among the back-three options at Mark Mapletoft's disposal, each of them having featured in the Premiership over the past few months. Noah Caluori and Will Knight have been promoted from England U19 and U18 teams as well. The squad that travels to Italy, where they begin with pool matches against Scotland, South Africa and Australia, will possess considerable firepower. Bracken and Offiah bring different perspectives. The first, eight months older, already has eight appearances for England U20 in World Championship and Six Nations games. Offiah has just one, against Scotland in February. 'Coming straight in from school last year felt a bit daunting,' Bracken says. 'This has already been different and I'm trying to serve the team as best as possible by using that experience, whether that's by speaking up in meetings or talking on the pitch. It's a role I'm really enjoying.' 'It's about fighting for my place because there are a lot of people who are deserving but not everyone can get on that plane,' Offiah finishes. 'I want to make the most of every opportunity.' Both are palpably hungry to do their best by the England side and clinch silverware again. Whatever happens at that tournament, the names of Bracken and Offiah should remain in the consciousness for some time.
