Looking through Stacey Solomon’s Instagram grid, life seems to have been a case of non-stop fun at Pickle Cottage this month. The Solomon-Swash family have just celebrated daughter Rose turning one, and doting mum (and Halloween fanatic) Stacey recently transformed their sprawling £1.2m Essex pad into an autumnal extravaganza. But in among the memory making, heat has been told that Stacey – who has sons Zach, 14, and Leighton, ten, from previous relationships, and Rex, three, and Rose with husband Joe – can’t shake the longing to have a fifth child, but her broodiness has triggered some guilt.
Our insider says, “Stacey is worried that, after speaking out about the cost of living crisis and how it’s going to affect her, people will judge her for having a fifth child with Joe, as obviously another baby is going to have a big impact on their expenses. There’s no real worry for them as they’re both in privileged positions, but Stacey knows other people are not so fortunate and are struggling right now. Some of her fans would love another baby, but just couldn’t afford to expand their families, and she cares about all of them.”
The singer-turned-TV presenter, 33, spoke about the impact of the cost of living crisis in an interview earlier this month, referring to it as a “scary time”. She said, “If our energy bill doubles, then it might well be beyond our means in the future. I’m not saying it is the same for us as someone on the breadline, ’cos it blooming well isn’t.”
The Essex native might have been lauded over the years for providing an unfiltered glimpse into her life on social media, but the narrative has shifted slightly of late, and she’s been accused of not quite keeping fans informed of everything going on in her life. heat reported last week that the mum of four had come under fire for concealing a holiday abroad, and the circumstances surrounding her dog adoption, as well as whether Joe, 40, was really away as she tried on wedding dresses at home – later having to backtrack on her Instagram stories.
But our source adds that former EastEnders actor Joe – who’s also dad to 15-year-old Harry – wants Stacey to ignore the negative comments.
“Joe has told Stacey she cannot let anyone else dictate what they should and shouldn’t do,” says our source. “He already thinks she spends too much time worrying about what the trolls say online, so the fact that it’s getting in the way of them having another baby is annoying him. Joe believes they should be able to do what they want . He can feel as though he’s living in a fishbowl, with everyone watching and judging their every move.”
Last September, a month before welcoming Rose, Stacey said her only daughter would be her last child. “When we were trying to have this baby, it wasn’t the process we thought it would be, so we were just so grateful to even get pregnant. I don’t want to push it any more. This is enough,” she said.
But in May, heat’s sources revealed she’d had a change of heart, as the idea of having another child filled her with “purpose” and a sense of “calm”. And Joe appears keen for another little ’un, as he revealed a fortnight ago that having children is “addictive” and would “never say never” to having more.
heat’s source continues, “Stacey is tying herself in knots over it all. She’s told Joe it’s now or never, as she doesn’t want to wait too long after Rose, and there’s a small window of time to just go for it or they may miss out. It just feels like a scary decision to make.”
