She’s carved out a hugely successful career for herself since shooting to fame on The X Factor in 2009, and now Stacey Solomon is putting the spotlight on her children. After eldest sons Zachary, 16, and Leighton, 12, recently made their small screen debut on Hollyoaks, a source tells heat that Stacey is fully embracing the ‘momager’ role – and has big plans for their futures.
‘Zach and Leighton have both shown interest in TV, so it was a no-brainer letting them appear on Hollyoaks when they were asked,’ our insider says. ‘They both love being in front of the camera. Zach is training to be a mechanic, but Stacey thinks he can combine the two and be a ‘social media mechanic’ and get a lot of work from that.’
Zach and Leighton delighted viewers when they appeared on the Channel 4 soap earlier this month, with proud mum Stacey gushing, ‘They loved every second of it. The people at Hollyoaks were just so lovely and so kind and so nice to us. They just had the best day ever.’ And the boys aren’t strangers to the spotlight. Zach has previously featured in his mum’s BBC hit show, Sort Your Life Out, and they will soon star alongside their siblings – Rex, five, Rose, three, and one-year-old Belle – in an upcoming fly-on-the-wall reality show. The series, titled Stacey & Joe, will follow Stacey and husband Joe Swash as they open their doors to their £1.2million home Pickle Cottage, and navigate their busy family life.
But while Stacey supports her sons’ interest in the limelight, she’s also mindful of protecting their privacy. After all, she knows better than anyone that fame can be a double-edged sword. The 35 year old has faced her fair share of criticism, and was previously branded ‘out of her depth’ when she hosted Renovation Rescue on Channel 4. She’s also opened up about her experience of online trolling, saying, ‘Imagine going to all that effort to say something horrible. It's almost funny that they've used their time and energy because I'm upsetting them that much.’
Despite the backlash she’s received over the years, Stacey has remained resilient and her career has gone from strength to strength. She and former EastEnders star Joe, 43, who tied the knot in 2022, also both know that showbiz can be a lucrative career, so she would love to set her sons up with the best future possible and turn them into millionaires.
‘Stacey has always tried to be protective of her children when it comes to being in the limelight. She has deliberately left Zach and Leighton out of a lot of her recent social media posts so she didn’t embarrass them. She knows showbiz can be a tough career, but she is so grateful for being famous and having all the opportunities that come her way,’ the source continues. ‘She can see both of her sons being stars and she knows they’ll get accused of being nepo babies, but Stacey has stopped caring what people think. As Zach and Leighton become adults, Stacey feels there will be a lot more opportunities for them, she’s so proud of them.’
Stacey’s ambitions don’t end with her eldest sons, as she’s also said to be planning careers for Rex, Rose and Belle. At the end of last year, she revealed a new business venture and announced that she’s bringing out her own perfume called Belle and Rose, in a nod to her daughters.
‘Stacey is also going to make sure the younger three become stars,’ we’re told.
‘She’s about to launch her business – Belle and Rose – which her daughters will become the face of. She wants her kids to be financially well off. She wants to protect her children, but also make them as much money as she can. Stacey will oversee everything – she’s very savvy.’
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Sarah O'Byrne is a writer for heat, Closer, Grazia, Yours, Bella and Crime Monthly.