Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash’s marriage isn’t all sunshine and roses, as revealed in their new reality show. In one episode, Joe leaves Stacey juggling their kids during a crucial business meeting.
The drama unfolds when Joe Swash returns home five hours late from a fishing trip, leaving Stacey Solomon to manage a meeting about her new perfume launch while caring for their young children.
The new BBC show, cheekily titled ‘Stacey And Joe’, gives viewers a glimpse into the couple’s lavish Tudor-style Essex home, affectionately known as Pickle Cottage.
The show features their bustling family life with children Zachary, 17, Leighton, 12, Rex, five, Rose, three, and Belle, two, not forgetting their dogs Peanut and Teddy. There are even cameo appearances from their four ducks and two cats!
On the show, viewers will see Stacey’s frustration and embarrassment over Joe’s tardiness after he had promised not to be late. Despite being five hours late, Joe eventually arrives, blaming an accident on the road for his delay.
Stacey, clearly unimpressed, retorts: “You’re five hours late.” She adds: “Sometimes I don’t think Joe realises the repercussions. It’s all a laugh and a joke but that meeting was really important to me.”
Joe swayed into the frame later, but by then, their candid moment had already struck a chord. Despite the discomfort, Joe embraces transparency, revealing to The Mirror: “So many people represent their lives as being so perfect on Instagram. It’s our responsibility to show the real – the highs and the lows. It’s not all a bed of roses. Sometimes we argue.”
Joe and Stacey believe that filming their tiffs, albeit stressful, actually offers a unique chance for reflection. Watching back their own squabbles has given them insights into one another’s perspectives.
Stacey explains, “You might go to see somebody and talk through your relationship and they might give you advice, but you never get to witness when you’re bickering between each other. We found that really interesting. There’s definitely things in our communication where we’re like, ‘Wow, we could do that better. And we could talk about this more..’ It opens you up to the development of your relationship that you don’t always see, in everyday life, because a lot of the time you’re just trudging through to get to the next day.”
Motivated by their experiences on the show, Stacey reflects on her intentions for growth, conceding: “I am trying to pick my battles. Sometimes I will watch myself and go, ‘Oh, gosh, you didn’t really need to pick up on that.’ There’s bigger issues.”
Joe shared some heartwarming insights about his personal growth, noting: “Sometimes I need to sit back, I need to listen instead of being so defensive. The main thing I’ve learned is that I’ve just got the most amazing family and most amazing kids. They’re our little legacies.”
The couple’s romance blossomed from a spark at ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ in 2010, where Stacey’s triumph coincided with Joe hosting an ITV2 spin-off.
Although the connection was there from the get-go, it wasn’t until 2016 they went official with their love story, ultimately tying the knot in 2022. They now believe they were always meant to be.
On fate drawing them together, Joe said, “I feel like the universe kept us away from each other until we were at certain parts of our lives. We’ve had other relationships and stuff like that so I feel like it kept us away until we were ready to meet each other.”
Stacey couldn’t agree more, finding peace as their paths finally aligned. She explained: “I remember when we first got together and even some of our family were like, ‘Of course, that makes perfect sense!'”.
Adding to the feeling of serendipity, Joe reminisced: “I remember someone saying in the pub, ‘I thought you two were together already!'” Despite any squabbles, the couple maintains a state of bliss. Stacey described their partnership as remarkably effortless, sharing: “As soon as we were spending time together we were both like ‘this is so easy’ and we hadn’t had a relationship that was easy before.”
Reflecting on their reality series, Stacey Solomon was filled with immense pride for her tribe. She remarked, “We do love each other and we do have an incredible family and it gets intense. It’s our stress era!”
With their littlest, Belle, starting nursery, the hubbub at Pickle Cottage is winding down – however, this newfound quietude isn’t sitting well with Joe Swash who yearns for another child. He admitted, “I’d love to have just one more.”
But Stacey, already a mum to five and having welcomed three of her brood within a span of five years, is not quite as enthusiastic. She playfully protested, “Joe would like me to be a baby machine! I quit! I quit. My pelvic floor is a shambles, the whole of my back is screaming at me. I can’t do it again.”