One minute you’re pregnant, the next minute the baby is all dressed up to meet Father Christmas for the first time. A year after she announced that she was expecting her fifth child, Stacey Solomon is feeling nostalgic about the passage of time and how quickly her kids are growing up.
Sharing a snap of her youngest sitting on Santa’s knee, she wrote, “I actually feel so emotional that this time last year, I was pregnant with Belle, and now she’s here and it’s her first Christmas, and by the time it’s over, she will be one already.”
Now, all these emotions have fans wondering if Stacey, 34, and husband Joe Swash, 41, might be planning baby number six in time for next Christmas, after they revealed this time last year that she was eight months pregnant and it had come as a “huge surprise”.
The couple now share Rex, four, Rose, two, and ten-month-old Belle, alongside Stacey’s two sons Zachary, 15, and Leighton, 11, and Joe’s son Harry, 16. And despite assuring fans that she was not yet pregnant, a source tells heat that Stacey is torn over her hopes for another Christmas pudding.
Our insider explains, “Obviously, it was this time last year that Stacey and Joe revealed their surprise baby news at Christmas. So, it’s been stirring in Stacey’s mind again and she’s had to shut some of the baby rumours down, with fans asking questions on social media. Whenever she sees a comment about it, or when a friend or family member brings up the topic, it starts Stacey wondering about the future.”
However, Stacey admitted in August that she and Joe – who wed last summer – are “struggling to be good parents” as they continue to juggle their busy careers – including a rumoured return to EastEnders for Joe in the coming months.
And the insider says that, as much as the mum of five relishes being a parent – giving birth to Zachary when she was 18 – the Sort Your Life Out star made her mind up a while ago that she and Joe wouldn’t make any decisions until the new year.
The source adds, “Stacey made the firm decision that she is holding off on plans to have baby number six until 2024. It’s something she and Joe have gone back and forth on a lot privately and romanticised about. They’re very torn over it, but Stacey knows that, at 34, she doesn’t have to make any rash decisions.”
In June this year, Joe also dropped a major hint that the family would be open to welcoming a sixth child through fostering. He said at the time, “Fostering is something that me and Stacey have talked about and would love to do. Touch wood, we’re both healthy enough and fit enough. We’ll have to wait until the time comes, but we’re open to the option.”
Yet fans can’t help but speculate, as the couple – who first met back on the set of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here Now! in 2010 – regularly share evidence of their sizzling chemistry. Last year, Stacey revealed how Joe found her “sexy” in glasses, while Joe quipped that he floats Stacey’s boat when he offers to clean the windows.
In June, the couple also flew off on a romantic break to Austria for a friend’s wedding, with Stacey telling fans, “I’m a little tipsy, or maybe a lot… send help” alongside a picture of Joe looking smitten as he smiled at his wife. One fan quipped, “Joe has that look in his eyes, Stacey.”
But now the source says Stacey is keen to focus on her and Joe’s existing children and is desperate to dash any baby talk that may come up over the Christmas turkey.
“She doesn’t want to get her other kids unnecessarily excited about possibly having another little brother or sister, when neither her nor Joe know what the future holds,” we’re told. “She already feels so lucky with what she has in life. She’s also really keen for the family to enjoy Christmas, and certainly doesn’t want it brought up as a topic at the dinner table.”
