With busy careers, an ongoing house renovation and a whopping five kids between them, Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash certainly have their hands full. And with the former EastEnders actor currently away filming for weeks on end, his new wife’s hands are starting to overflow.
Last week, the Loose Women star admitted she was struggling as she juggled life all alone. And it’s not great timing, as insiders tell heat Stacey is feeling anxious right now.
“Stacey doesn’t want to nag or be too needy, but she feels completely at a loss without Joe,” says an insider close to the 32-year-old star, who’s mum to Zachary, 14, Leighton, ten, Rex, three, and Rose, eleven months, as well as stepmum to Joe’s son Harry, 15. “She can get lonely by herself – that’s when her anxiety kicks in. It’s stressful having to deal with all the children on her own, but it’s those quiet moments when she gets sad. She doesn’t want
to bother Joe, but she’s found it tough.”
The I’m A Celeb winner confirmed it had been “an interesting week” without Joe, 40 – who she married in a her dream wedding at their home in July – as he spent time away filming CBBC’s The Dengineers. She told her 5.3million Instagram followers, “It’s just us at the minute, so I’m trying to keep my head above the water.”
She went on to explain how she’s juggling appointments for Leighton’s move to secondary school next year, saying, “This week, I had to book all of his open day appointments, applications, and do walkarounds. One school, I had to sit in and queue at a certain time and try to book a slot to go and see it before slots ran out. I felt like I was booking Coachella or something.”
It comes at a difficult time for the star, who has become one of the biggest names in showbiz, thanks to her down-to-earth, straight-talking nature. While she knows her fans can relate to her posts about the challenges of parenting, the TV star’s admitted to friends that she’s struggling to know how much of her lavish lifestyle she should be sharing online, with the country in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis.
“She’s become a huge influencer and really built her brand on being the relatable single mum who had this Cinderella story,” says our insider. “But it’s getting harder to hide how incredibly successful she is these days. There are so many people struggling to pay their bills, and meanwhile, Stacey’s posting about renovations to her mansion.”
Stacey – who is thought to be worth around £5million – moved in to the £1.2m, 2.5-acre estate, dubbed Pickle Cottage, in early 2021, and has spent the past year sharing improvements to the property, including a kitchen extension that came with a £16k Aga and the stunning transformation of the outdoor swimming pool. At the time, she admitted, “I know it’s so hard out there for so many, and we are so lucky and privileged. I wouldn’t want to make anyone feel rubbish.”
Our source continues, “Stacey knows everyone is under pressure with money and wants to acknowledge that and she does feel guilty – she would hate to be seen as though she’s rubbing her life in everyone’s face. It’s tough to strike the right balance.”
But friends are trying to convince the Sort Your Life Out host to stop worrying so much. “She does a lot for charity and what she shares brings so much joy to people,” says the insider. “You only have to look at the messages she gets every single day to see that. People love hearing about her life and it’s vital for her social media work. It’s time she lets go of the guilt.”