After months of juggling her busy family life with her demanding career, Stacey Solomon enjoyed some much-needed downtime last week when she jetted off to Turkey for an idyllic 10-day family getaway.
Stacey, 33, and husband Joe Swash, 41, whisked away their family for a lavish all-inclusive beachside getaway, with the Loose Women presenter sharing sun-soaked snaps of her brood lounging by the pool and dressed up for evenings out in the luxury five-star resort.
But just days after returning to the Essex home she shares with Joe and their children – Rex, four, Rose, one, and six-month-old Belle, as well as Stacey’s sons Zachary, 15, and Leighton, 11, and Joe’s son, Harry, 16 – Stacey was forced to hit back at fans on Instagram who accused her of being “deceitful” and “tone-deaf” for accepting a discount on a holiday that is believed to have been worth more than £20,000.
One fan wrote, “Have a bit of respect during a cost-of-living crisis,” as another agreed, “Stacey’s ‘brand’ has always been ‘relatable’… The whole thing is deceitful and tone deaf in my opinion.”
Others criticised the presenter for telling fans that the family had gone out in the evening for a “buffet and bingo” night – which turned out to be a performance at the hotel from pop superstar Christina Aguilera.
Another fan, who had hoped to emulate Stacey’s luxury lifestyle, admitted, “Just priced this up for us to go next year. How relatable, a £47k holiday.”
Taking on her Instagram Stories for a Q&A about her holiday, for which she revealed she’d received a discount, Stacey told fans, “If me sharing our holiday doesn’t make you feel good, then unfollow or just mute me or something. I love coming on here and sharing things so much and I love our community on here.
“All I ever want is to take you on the adventure with us and hopefully make you smile along the way.”
But a source tells Closer that the backlash has left Stacey feeling “worried” that her fans will turn against her.
The insider says, “This is exactly why Stacey feels like she can’t win sometimes. She’s doing her best to put a brave face on it by telling fans to unfollow her if they have a problem with her content, but the truth is she feels quite overwhelmed by some of the comments and terrified of the idea of everyone turning against her.
“Family and friends have told her to hold her head high – she’s not done anything wrong or hurt anyone, but she’s been teary and worried ever since. Joe has been very supportive and has calmed her by reading some of the huge number of positive comments and telling her to focus on their holiday memories. But Stacey fears the brand she’s worked so hard for will be damaged if the public decide they don’t like her.”
While Stacey forged ahead with her latest work projects last week – revealing that her BBC show Sort Your Life Out has been shortlisted for an NTA, as well as announcing her latest homeware partnership with Asda – this isn’t the first time the star has been plagued by fears she could lose it all.
After moving into their £1.2 million forever home, Pickle Cottage, back in 2021, Stacey revealed, “I’ll never not be grateful to be here at Pickle Cottage. I definitely get imposter syndrome. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
The star, who was a single mum at 17, also 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.”
Stacey, who first rose to fame on The X Factor in 2009, has also been praised for her honesty over her long-term mental health battle – previously revealing an “out-of-control fear of death”, crippling anxiety and post-natal depression.
And now the source reveals how this latest hurdle has been “torture” for Stacey, who fears she may be forced to take a break from social media.
The insider adds, “Stacey battles a lot of insecurities as well as imposter syndrome, so social media can feel like torture at times like this.
“Her worries spiral and she can’t help but think that everyone is turning against her. This is why she has told pals she’s wanted to quit social media in the past – but everyone is advising Stacey just to ride it out and ignore all the haters.
“Anyone who thinks she’s a fraud or that she’s lost touch of reality couldn’t be more wrong. She works incredibly hard and takes nothing for granted. She knows just how lucky she is.”