Bannatyne’s social worker threat over Jade’s sons
DRAGON’S Den star Duncan Bannatyne has criticised the father of reality TV star Jade Goody’s children for ‘abandoning’ them in his gym.
In his latest Twitter row, the businessman threatened to call social services about TV presenter Jeff Brazier, claiming he left his 11-yearold son unsupervised while he worked out on the treadmill.
Bobby, Brazier’s son with Miss Goody, who died of cervical cancer in 2009, was left on a sofa at a Bannatyne’s Health Club in Essex. Brazier insists he was in the same room and never let his son out of his sight.
In a bad-tempered exchange on the social media site, Bannatyne, 65, said: ‘If you abandon your child in our lounge again, I will instruct my staff to phone social services. You abandoned your children in the gym. They are YOUR responsibility, NOT my staff’s. Look after them properly.’
The Scots entrepreneur was responding to a complaint on Twitter from Brazier, who said he was misled on membership fees.
The 35-year-old father of two also complained he was refused entry to Bannatyne’s gym after waking his sons at 6.30am to go on Thursday.
The ITV This Morning presenter was told there was a ban on under-16s, despite being let in with his children the day before.
Clydebank-born multi-millionaire Bannatyne hit back with the accusation that Brazier had abandoned his son early in the morning to exercise, saying: ‘I am amazed that anyone would support leaving children anywhere without adult supervision in this day and age.’ Later he added: ‘Gyms are dangerous.’
As the row escalated, Brazier wrote: ‘Poor from you... allowing all to think I left my 11-year-old child unsupervised at 8am in reception. He was never out of my sight. How malicious of you to suggest to people that he was. Again YOUR staff allowed him entry.
‘I complain on two very reasonable counts in a decent manner and you speak to me about social services?! You’ve questioned my parenting instead of responding responsibly to a paying customer’s concern.’
Brazier’s two sons are from a brief relationship between 2002 and 2004 with Jade Goody, who found overnight fame on Big Brother.
She died from cervical cancer aged 2 in March 2009, having ignored a letter from her doctor warning that abnormal cells had been found from a smear test.
Yesterday it was revealed that a second arrest has been made in the investigation into an alleged multi-million-pound fraud within Bannatyne’s business empire.
Former chief executive and managing director Graham Armstrong, 43, was arrested on suspicion of fraud. It follows the arrest last week of finance director Christopher Watson, 45.