Jeff Brazier opens up about son Bobby's Strictly journey: 'My son has become a man'

What did you miss?

Jeff Brazier has opened up on his pride at seeing son Bobby grow into his Strictly Come Dancing role, saying: "I feel like I'm watching my son become a man on national television."

The TV presenter was a guest on Wednesday's Steph's Packed Lunch, where he talked about his joy at seeing how the EastEnders star was handling the demands of Strictly training and primetime fame.

What, how, and why?

Proud dad Jeff Brazier has spoken about how much he has loved seeing son Bobby mature during his time on Strictly Come Dancing.

EastEnders star and model Bobby is competing with pro dancer Dianne Buswell on the BBC One show and has become a fan favourite, but Jeff told Steph's Packed Lunch on Wednesday that the thing he loved most about his son's Strictly journey was seeing how much he had grown up.

Talking to Channel 4 host Steph McGovern, Brazier said: "I feel like I'm watching my son become a man on national television because you can see he's grown in strength, he's quite tall and slim and it's not necessarily the same as being strong.

"The lifts and catches, I can see that he's now becoming a strong man and he feels that as well so it's an interesting transition to watch."

But Brazier also admitted to being "more nervous than (Bobby), especially when I'm in the studio.

"I think he was just trying to get through each week. I don't think he thought he'd be able to learn as much as he has."

Brazier added that his son was having the time of his life on Strictly, saying: "What's not to love - he's 20, imagine getting to dance with Dianne every day. It's a dream for a young man like him."

The TV presenter also said that he was very proud of his son's attitude to the contest and the scrutiny he was under from judges and viewers.

He said: "What I absolutely love is the respect he shows. The judges' comments, he doesn't let them get too personal, the scores are irrelevant as far as he's concerned, it's did he respect Dianne by trying to do everything she taught him, the respect he has for the voters.

"That's what I love because as a parent that's what we try to instil in our kids and he's got all of that."

What else has been happening on Strictly Come Dancing?

Last weekend's Strictly results featured a controversial decision as the judges opted to save Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington over Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley - despite Rippon having made a mistake in the dance off.

It lead to claims of a "Strictly fix" from some viewers, although pro dancer Widdrington stuck up for his partner on Strictly: It Takes Two.

He said: "Angela’s been [in the bottom two] before, we were there the week before. There was no way on earth I was letting you go home even if we completely fell off the [side of the dance floor].

"We did enough, we had a good score. I think you deserved your place at Blackpool, so..."

This Saturday, the competition heads up north to Blackpool for its annual visit to the Tower Ballroom.

Steph's Packed Lunch airs on Channel 4 at 12pm on weekdays.

Read more: Strictly Come Dancing

• Strictly's Kai Widdrington insists Angela Rippon 'deserves' her place in the competition (HuffPost, 1 min read)

• Strictly's Bobby Brazier shares very personal story about dance moves (The Independent, 2 min read)

• Strictly's Shirley Ballas says Amy Dowden is 'hoping to dance by the Christmas shows' (Good Housekeeping, 2 min read)