She was inundated with compliments from fans – along with husband Joe Swash – when she showed off her latest In The Style collection, featuring swimwear, dresses and chic co-ords last week. And insiders say that after proudly flaunting her toned figure on social media, Stacey Solomon is feeling more body positive than ever – and it’s not only benefiting her, but her marriage to former EastEnders actor Joe too.
A source says, “Stacey feels amazing, sexy and more confident than ever in her own skin. She has confided that her new-found self-assurance turns Joe on, and he can’t keep his hands off her.”
The insider adds, “Stacey confessed she would never have had the balls to do a swimwear shoot 10 years ago, especially so soon after having a baby. But now she says it’s incredible how your state of mind as a mother makes you glow. She’s embracing any imperfections and Joe reassures her that he thinks they’re her best bits anyway.”
Stacey, 34 – who shares Rex, four, Rose, two, and 13-month-old Belle with Joe, and has Zach, 16, and Leighton, 11, from previous relationships – called her husband, 42, her “biggest cheerleader” underneath her recent fashion reel, as he churned out endless compliments about her different looks. As well as telling her she resembled a “Bond girl”, he raved about his wife’s body in the swimming costumes and bikinis, saying, “You look fit” and, “Your abs look good in that”.
“He made sure he was home for the swimwear shoot, didn’t he,” the mum-of-five joked to her followers.
Reality star Georgia Kousoulou praised Stacey’s bikini pics, posting, “Your body, wow!” and fans also expressed their love for Joe’s reaction, with one posting, “I actually love you two so much!”
Over the past nine months, Sort Your Life Out presenter Stacey – who wed Joe in July 2022 after more than six years together – has been giving her fanbase a glimpse into her exercise regime, which began when she wanted to put Joe’s unused gym equipment to good use.
In one of her many exercise updates, she wrote on Instagram last month, “Got up and ran my little bum off today. I’m so proud of myself because I began this journey basically to get rid of Joe’s treadmill and to prove a point and here I am nine months later. Feeling so buzzing, like more awake and alive because of a little bit of exercise a day. For anyone who thinks they can’t, I promise, you can if I can. I was allergic to exercise. One step at a time. You’ve got this.”
The former X Factor contestant has been inspired by her sister and personal trainer Samantha Stone to “fall back in love with exercise”. She revealed on a recent podcast appearance, “I feel horrible if I miss a workout or if I don’t go for a walk or a run or something. I hated running, but now I love it.
“I’d say the feeling during exercise is, ‘I’m going to die’ still, but it’s the feeling afterwards. I just feel stronger, for one.”
And insiders say that Stacey is proud of the hard work she has put into her lifestyle overhaul, particularly with her infamously hectic schedule.
“Stacey’s often operating at a thousand miles an hour. But she knows the importance of keeping fit and well – mentally first,” the source reveals. “She says there is no secret to how she’s looking like she is, she just calls it mum workouts.
“She also loves her quick-fix, home-cooked meals, which is her best pick-me-up after coffee.”
Confidence hasn’t always come naturally to Stacey. She revealed in 2021, “I think it’s natural to question yourself, to have times when you don’t feel like you are enough, that’s human nature.
“I have to make sure I’m checking in with what I’m saying to myself, because sometimes I can say some really horrible stuff. And I just think, ‘Why am I doing that?’ The only person that’s making me feel bad is me. It’s a work in progress. And it’s something that I have to keep doing. It’s not something that I just naturally feel all day every day.”
She advised, “When I felt really down about my body, the best thing I could say is, ‘It will pass’. The best thing you can do is also tell yourself that you are good enough.”
And sources say that Stacey’s mindset has shifted to embracing her body no matter what.
The insider says, “She credits her figure to mother nature and her mum’s genes – and a lot of steps. But she no longer worries or obsesses over her shape like she used to.”