They were married in an intimate and romantic ceremony at their Essex home two weeks ago, and while many expected Stacey Solomon and her husband Joe Swash to jet off to somewhere exotic following their vows, the newlyweds opted to spend their honeymoon at Pickle cottage with their five children.
And while being surrounded by kids– Joe’s son Harry, 15, and Stacey’s sons Zachary, 14, and Leighton, 10, as well as the couple’s two children, Rex, three, and 10-month-old Rose – is in stark contrast to sipping cocktails and ordering room service at a luxury getaway, insiders say Loose Women star Stacey, 32, has a plan to keep the spark alive with Joe, 40.
The source says, “Stacey has been on cloud nine since the wedding, and she’s been having the time of their lives by honeymooning at Pickle Cottage with Joe.
“They’re spending quality time as a family and going on sexy summer date nights. She’s been dressing up for him and spending ages choosing glamorous outfits. They’ve also been making use of the cocktail bar that they’ve created in the garden. She’s definitely upping the ‘Sex factor’ and they feel like teenagers again. Stacey knows how messy and chaotic life can be at Pickle Cottage with all their children running around, so she just wants to make sure there is time for her and Joe so that they can keep the spark alive.
“Stacey and Joe are always so busy and, while people may think it’s odd they haven’t gone away, they couldn’t be happier – the kids are off school, Stacey and Joe aren’t working and they’re all just relaxing and having fun.”
The loved-up couple, who have been dating for six years after meeting on I’m A Celeb, were inundated by comments from fans after sharing a clip of their first dance on Instagram, which shows the pair in tears as they kiss each other, with Joe romantically running his hands across Stacey’s dress before lifting her into the air.
“I can literally feel the love oozing out of you guys,” wrote one fan, while another added, “I’m sobbing at how in love you both are.”
Now, insiders say that after weeks of beauty preparation in the lead up to the ceremony – including spending hours with her hairdresser to colour her hair back to blonde – Stacey isn’t ready to resume normal life just yet, and is trying to put in the extra effort for Joe.
And while Stacey has previously admitted her dream lead-up to a night of passion involves Joe “picking up his shoes after himself and unloading the dishwasher”, he has previously made quips about role play – calling her a “sexy teacher” in her glasses, and quipping, “Go on handy Andy, very sexy” on a social media post of DIY-fan Stacey wielding a drill.
But the lead-up to their dream day hasn’t always been smooth-sailing. Closer recently reported how Stacey had become overwhelmed about preparations for their big day and feared the event was too much for teething baby Rose, then just weeks before the wedding, pictures emerged of Joe talking to a mystery blonde on his stag-do in Ibiza.
At the time, Stacey admitted she had been left feeling “on edge” about the raucous trip, but appeared not to have been stressed over the photos as she went on to celebrate her hen-do in Mykonos a week later.
The source adds, “There were obviously a lot of eyebrows raised on Joe’s stag when he was seen chatting to a mystery woman. But Stacey knows it was all innocent. She now wants to strike a good balance between being parents and romantic partners for life.”
Yet while pals are fully on-board and supportive of Stacey’s plans to maintain a loving and long-term marriage, the insider says they are urging her to slow down after months of planning.
Having reluctantly made the decision to throw herself back into work just three months after giving birth to Rose on her birthday in October, Stacey barely had time to adjust to being a family of seven before she took on a huge project to renovate a “man cave” in the cottage for Joe’s 40th birthday in January.
The source says, “Stacey’s friends think she should take it easy as Joe loves her no matter what. She is always putting everyone else first, and they want to encourage her to give herself a break.”
“They’re hoping she’ll be enjoying some ‘me time’, rather than pushing herself to look sexy for Joe.
“But Stacey doesn’t want people to start feeling as though they’re a boring couple now they’re married – she wants to keep the excitement alive when they’re not busy running around after the kids all day.”
