As one of the busiest women on TV, you’ll be hard-pressed to channel surf without seeing Stacey Solomon’s face – she’s already got Loose Women, Sort Your Life Out and Celebrity Gogglebox under her belt, not to mention her upcoming Escape To Pickle Cottage series.
But after the mum of five rang in her 35th year last week, she reportedly set herself a new five-year plan that includes more projects – and another baby.
‘Stacey is pushing to have some concrete goals over the next five years,’ says an insider close to the star, who was pictured last week filming her new family reality show at Port Lympne Safari Park.
‘Turning 35 got her really emotional, as sometimes she feels as though life is moving too fast – in the blink of an eye, all her kids will be grown up and she’ll be wondering what to do with herself. She definitely had a mini-meltdown about it, because she’s midway through her thirties and feels like the next big birthday will be here before she knows it. But rather than dwell on it, she wants to be proactive, so she’s come up with some big goals that she wants to achieve before turning 40.’
While Stacey is putting the focus on growing her businesses – including Rehab, the haircare brand she co-owns; her beauty company Belle & Rose, named after her two daughters; and her partnerships with Primark and George Home – we’re told the number-one thing at the top of Stacey’s list is to have another baby with husband Joe Swash, 42.
The couple already share Rex, four, Rose, three, and one-year-old Belle, as well as Stacey’s older boys Zachary, 15, and Leighton, 11, and Joe’s son Harry, 16, from previous relationships.
Our source says, ‘Stacey wants at least one more child – that’s her number-one priority. It’s obviously something she and Joe have been back and forth about, but she knows she wants to keep the house full of babies. In the next five years, it’s just something she knows in her bones is going to happen.
'She also wants to have a break from TV work to grow her business and spend more time with the kids. She’ll also look at other small businesses to invest in, so she’s not always relying on the world of showbiz for her career options.’
The source adds, ‘Ultimately, she wants to grow her own businesses until they’re successful enough to run themselves and she can log off from social media – that’s her dream.’
The former X Factor star doesn’t want to withdraw from the spotlight completely, though – with our insider saying it’s more to do with being able to do things on her terms. Her desire to focus on her home life was highlighted back in September, when she took a step back from her In the Style collaboration.
At the time, Stacey revealed, ‘I’ve decided to say goodbye to In The Style and other things, so that I can give more of myself back to my family.’ And while Stacey already has a full house, we’re told she feels having one more child would delay the empty-nest syndrome she’s dreading.
‘Of course, the younger kids leaving home is a long way off, but she’ll be devastated when it starts to happen with the older boys – and she thinks having another baby would help her to cope,’ says our source. ‘She’s always going to fret – that’s just who she is – but she finds that making plans and doing lots of preparation is really good for keeping her calm.’
The insider adds, ‘She feels having a long-term plan in place will help her get through life without too much stress.’