Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon have candidly shared the ups and downs of their relationship, including moments of “resentment” that Stacey has acknowledged.
The duo, who tied the knot in 2022, are gearing up to give their followers a behind-the-scenes look at their life in Pickle Cottage with their extended family in their upcoming BBC series Stacey & Joe.
In anticipation of their show, they opened up about the realities of cohabitation and overcoming common hurdles. On the NewlyWeds podcast with Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo, Stacey questioned the idea of a “perfect relationship” by saying: “Is there such a thing, though? I think sometimes it’s really good and sometimes it’s really c**p, ain’t it?
“I think sometimes, everyone’s looking for this perfect partner, when actually the perfect one is the one you want to kill half the time and are in love with half the time.”
The Loose Women presenter described living with someone as “weird” and talked about how tough it was to compromise “everything you love” for another person, reports the Manchester Evening News.
When asked about keeping their marriage strong, Stacey advised: “Fight it out. Always have an argument if there’s something on your mind. The worst thing we could do, and the thing that splits us apart the most, is building resentment and not saying what we’re thinking.
“As soon as we have it out and say, ‘I hate this, this is p*****g me off’, that’s when everything lets go and you can reset and start from zero to be back on the same page again.”
Joe offered some candid relationship advice during the programme, saying: “Also, embrace the hatred sometimes, it’s natural,” and emphasised how vital it is to have personal space when times get tough.
In addition, Stacey revealed on the show that Joe would “rather sleep in a separate room” because he gets too “clammy” and sweats at night.
Digging deeper into their night-time routines, he divulged: “Sometimes, like, I could wake up in our bed and we’ll have all the three kids in bed, and the two dogs and then I’m like ‘No, I think this is the time I step out and go down to the sofa’.”
Moreover, Joe pointed out that Stacey isn’t much for endless cuddles in bed, noting she was less touchy-feely than he was.
“The best thing is when we’re in bed, like, I’ll get a two-minute window of… she’ll give me a cuddle and she’s like, ‘No I need to be left alone’,” which was met with Stacey’s concession: “I have to.”
Together, the duo has a bustling household with Rex, five, Rose, three, and Belle, two. Stacey also mothers two teenagers, Zachary and Leighton, from previous relationships, while Joe has a son, Harry, in his teens.
As for their new show, the couple revealed that it was their older children who convinced them to go ahead with the project.
“We wanted it to be real,” Stacey said. “We wanted it to be like a real taste of what it’s like to be in our family and with the kids and stuff. So yeah, it’s no holds barred.”