It’s been 14 years since teen single mum Stacey Solomon catapulted to stardom overnight after winning the hearts of the nation during her stint on The X Factor in 2009.
Since then, the Essex-born star’s career has blossomed, and her personal life has thrived after welcoming four more children, landing a dream home in her idyllic Pickle Cottage, and marrying husband Joe Swash in a romantic ceremony last year.
But while her fairy tale looks set to continue, with lots of projects in the pipeline, Stacey, 33, has admitted that, like many women, she still struggles with “imposter syndrome”. Sharing a series of photographs of her and Joe, 41, with their youngest three children – Rex, four, Rose, one, and four-month-old Belle – spending time by their swimming pool last week, Stacey wrote on Instagram, “Always feel so grateful… I’ll never take for granted how lucky we are. My full-on Imposter Syndrome will always keep me in check”.
Admitting that she sometimes felt that her life was a prank, the mum-of-five added, “I’m always forcing my friends, family, and the local village really, over here just in case one day Ashton Kutcher jumps out of a bush and tells us we’ve all been Punk’d and it’s not really our pool.”
And now a source tells Closer how Stacey’s battle with her self-confidence can sometimes become so extreme that it fills her with dread that her incredible run of luck could end at any moment.
Our insider says, “Sometimes Stacey feels like the luckiest girl in the world, and she really can’t believe where she’s got in life. Then other days she is filled with dread and it can really get her in a state.
“She’ll suddenly feel guilty for having done so well for herself, and worries it’s all going to be taken away from her. Stacey knows that a lot of it is in her head and she needs to work harder at believing in herself and having more confidence. She gets filled with feelings of self-doubt and questions her status as a role model to so many followers.”
Becoming a mum at 17, she relied on tax credits while living with her son Zachary, now 15, her mum and her two siblings in a small house. Stacey has previously admitted that she is forced to pause and remember her roots at every career milestone she reaches.
The TV favourite, who also shares son Leighton, 11, with ex Adam Barham, said, “When you’ve grown up with limited resources, there’s almost a narrative that everything’s unlikely and the odds are against you. I guess then, if things start to happen, you immediately think, ‘Do I even deserve this?’ I really work hard to teach the boys that nothing is certain.”
But now the source says that with the support of Joe, who she met on I’m a Celebrity…! back in 2010, Stacey works hard to focus on gratitude instead of her fears.
The insider says, “Joe tries to put her mind at rest and tells Stacey it’s all in her head. He reminds her that she is the kindest, most genuine and hard-working mum out there in the showbiz world. He’s told her to try to focus on what she does have and be grateful for that. Her pals also help build her back up and remind her that she’s killing it, and deserves every bit of the success she has in life.”