§§
They celebrated Valentine’s Day with a romantic break in Paris, but despite being in the City of Love, Stacey Solomon was said to be feeling a little less enamoured with her man Joe Swash.
Sources tell Closer that the Sort Your Life Out star is having to put on a brave face after her husband of two years appears to have had a change of heart about having a fourth child together.
The couple made an unexpected detour in the French capital with their kids Rex, five, Rose, three, and Belle, two, and her sons Zachary, 16, and Leighton, 12, on their way to a family ski trip to Switzerland. Stacey shared photos of her and Joe hugging in front of the famous tourist attraction. ‘Happy Valentines Day from the very unexpected Eiffel Tower. We missed our train to Switzerland so it was a night in Paris instead. So we came to the Eiffel Tower instead because why not,’ she wrote. ‘The boys thought it was the best mistake that ever happened. They’ve always wanted to see it.’
But despite Joe and Stacey looking happy and loved-up on social media, insiders reveal that it is not all hearts and flowers behind the scenes. A source says, ‘Stacey and Joe may have looked loved-up in Paris, but Stacey was very much putting on a happy front after Joe’s baby U-turn. Knowing how much the kids had been looking forward to the trip, she didn’t want anything to spoil it, so she put on a brave face.’
Stacey, 35, recently dropped hints that she was feeling broody for her sixth child. The mum of five, who’s stepmum to Joe’s 16-year-old son Harry, admitted she got teary when Belle started nursery earlier this month. ‘I am not OK. She had the best day, she didn’t mention us once,’ she said. And on Belle’s birthday on 7 February, the proud mum wrote, ‘I cannot believe two whole years have flown by.’ It comes after she revealed that Belle’s first steps last year made her long for the patter of more little feet. ‘What happened to my baby? Why am I broody?’ Stacey said.
The launch of her new Primark collection last year also made her emotional. As she picked up a small swimsuit, she confessed, ‘This made me broody. Why are my kids not that size anymore?’
The source says, ‘Stacey’s been open with Joe from the start about wanting a big family, knowing how important it is to ensure they were always on the same page when it came to kids and their future together. Joe had always been on board with having at least four kids of their own – if not more.
‘She’s been ready to start trying again. But shortly before they left for Switzerland, he admitted he'd veer having second thoughts.’
Stacey and Joe, 43, recently welcomed three new family members to their blended brood. The pair, whose BBC reality series is set to air soon, are now parents to ducks Dawn, Dolly and Dorris, who join their other feathered friends Daisy and Delilah. They also have two dogs Peanut and Teddy – and the star wants to add to their menagerie. ‘I’m even thinking about whether we can have a dairy cow at Pickle Cottage… Don’t tell Joe!’
The insider explains, ‘Every time they’ve had a baby, it’s taken even more time away from their time as a couple, but Stacey’s always insisted that was the case with anyone who has a baby. But Joe told her that they’re barely coping as it is and that’s without adding another baby into the mix.’
Former X Factor star Stacey has never hidden the fact that she loves being a mum.
‘I can honestly say, my favourite thing in the whole wide world is being a mum. I just get so much joy from watching our little ones grow and getting to be a part of their world. I would love more. Whatever will be will be. But OMG I love them.’ In the past, she said, ‘I’m always broody. I see a baby and get all tingly inside.’
However, Joe – who recently returned to BBC soap EastEnders 13 years after his exit – has been open about the reality of family life and spoken out about feeling dad guilt. ‘It can be really difficult. But we try to make as much effort as possible to take them out as much as we can. We work really hard so we can spend as much time with our kids as possible,’ he said.
The source tells Closer, ‘Stacey told Joe that while she loves him and understands why he may have cold feet, she worries about ending up feeling resentful towards him and the possibility that will have a more detrimental effect on their relationship than another child would. They still have a lot to discuss and Stacey is still secretly hoping Joe is going to change his mind.
‘She knows deep down that even if they don’t have another baby, she is still the luckiest person in the world to have five beautiful kids.’