There’s nothing Stacey Solomon loves more than being at home in her Pickle Cottage paradise, surrounded by her children and with husband Joe Swash. And after announcing earlier this month she has a new reality show on the way, we’re told the TV star is hoping a work-from-home schedule might become her new normal.
Stacey, 35, announced on New Year’s Day that she and husband Joe, 42, have invited cameras into their £1.2 million home for Kardashian-style show Stacey & Joe, which will also feature kids Zachary, 16, Leighton, 12, Rex, five, Rose, three, and Belle, one. Saying she was both ‘nervous and excited’ for the BBC reality series to hit screens later this year, Stacey shared, ‘Here is us. All of us. In 2024, we opened our home and made a series about our lives. We have spoken about making a documentary for a long time, lots of you have asked, too. 2024 was the year me and Joe pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones – we’ve loved showing a different side to our family’s fun and chaos.’
And now, our source says Stacey’s got a taste for working from home, with the former Loose Women star hoping to spend more time in her Pickle Cottage sanctuary. We’re told, ‘Joe doesn’t work as much as her, so Stacey is the breadwinner. They spent a huge amount of money on the cottage, and decided it made sense to maximise that and create a homely-style reality show. Stacey doesn’t want to be out doing TV like Loose Women every day – she wants to be at home with the kids. Filming this show means she’ll be at Pickle Cottage with the family, and they’re all part of it, too.’
The six-part series is set to explore Stacey and Joe’s home life, as they became household names after meeting back in 2016. Aiming to show how the showbiz couple balance their busy schedules with their home life, some of the moments said to be documented include Stacey’s Sort Your Life Out National Television Awards win and Zach’s GCSE results, as well as the family tackling building a two-acre fishing lake on their property. The trailer showed Stacey’s five children playing in the garden, and hinted that fans may get to know some of Pickle Cottage’s non-human residents – including pet dogs and ducks.
And alongside the show being a huge hit, the source adds that Stacey and Joe could bring a healthy side gig that’ll allow Stacey a chance to make even more money without even leaving her house. Revealing that the couple could be raking in new brand deals around homeware and cleaning products, the source adds, ‘They’re going to make huge money on home brands, selling things like mops.’
However, while some fans were thrilled to be invited inside Pickle Cottage – writing, ‘Can’t wait to watch this’ and ‘This will be stunning’ on social media – not everyone was impressed. One critic wrote, ‘The younger children are too young to have their life shown to millions,’ as another agreed, ‘It’s a risky choice.’ Others questioned whether Joe’s eldest son – Harry, 17, who he shares with his ex Emma Sophocleous, 40 – would make an appearance.
But we’re told Stacey is looking forward to her family’s reality TV debut. ‘Stacey knows there will be criticism, but this is about the big picture,’ says our source. ‘Joe wants to be more involved – they have a big family and they want to work together. They also know they’ll be under scrutiny and the kids will become a lot more famous, but they all love being in front of the camera. It’s the ideal way for Stacey to be at home and still earn money to give them the best possible life.’
