Juggling work commitments and managing a hectic household of five children while posting a stream of gorgeous home-hacks – it can sometimes seem like Stacey Solomon really is a super-mum. But last week, while Stacey, 34, revealed to fans on social media that she had attended several meetings before finally getting home at 9pm, the mum-of-five candidly confessed that she has been struggling, like so many women, with the idea of “having it all”.
“Trying to get the work/ family balance right but I don’t know if it’s working. Do you ever have those days where you just question everything?” Stacey said. “The juggle is real and everyone is trying their absolute freaking hardest to get it right... there’s no such thing as the right balance, there’s no such thing as the perfect home life balance... you’ve just go to wing it and take it as it comes.”
However, a source tells Closer that Stacey’s husband, Joe Swash, disagrees. And after seeing how overwhelmed Stacey feels trying to keep their family, home and her career afloat, he’s begging her to slow down and accept help.
The insider says, “Joe gets frustrated with Stacey as she is literally packing her day too tight. Stacey is a workaholic and says it won’t be forever, but at the moment she has no free time at all. Some days Joe feels like Stacey will explode – there’s only so much one person can do... and then they row because she’s stressed to the max. Joe’s told her that of course he gets it when it feels like the wheels are falling off, but he’s told her that something’s got to give.”
Meanwhile, Stacey, who’s always been a dab hand at decluttering and cleaning – showing off her skills on her BBC show Sort Your Life Out – has frequently blasted Joe, 42, for his own domestic habits, claiming he “lives in a mess”. Posting on Instagram Stories last week about dog beds, the debate ended in Stacey quipping at Joe that he was “disgusting” and ordering him to do his own laundry.
And this isn’t the first time the couple – who married in 2022 and share children Rex, four, Rose, two, and one-year-old Belle together as well as Joe’s son Harry, 16, and Stacey’s sons, Zachary, 15, and Leighton, 11 – have argued over the washing. Last January, Stacey was left furious after returning from a business trip to Paris to find that Joe had left all of the washing for her to put away – even claiming he washed all of their clothes for “her” benefit.
Fuming about the laundry piles, alongside his beard hairs and toothpaste stains, Stacey said, “It’s not even the washing, the spit, the trimmings. It’s more the ‘for you’... I wasn’t here.” And last week, speaking about each other on Instagram, Joe said the thing he was most proud of was how Stacey juggled being a mum and having an amazing career – but he also temporarily landed himself in the dog house when he admitted that his “hall pass” was Holly Willoughby, and Stacey hit back, “I thought you might choose someone else, not someone we might see on Tuesday!”
The source adds, “Joe thinks they row over the stupidest of things, but it’s understandable as Stacey is naturally tired. She jokes that sleep is like a myth when you have six kids and a husband to look after. Stacey likes her life to run with military precision and isn’t willing to give up her career. She feels like Joe just needs to pull his weight. She needs a break but isn’t willing to give Joe the control. She feels resentful when he wants her to sit down and relax. For her, there are always so many things to get done.”
But with 5.9m followers on social media, Stacey – who has deals with both George at Asda and Primark – has built her brand through sharing her family life, from picture-perfect scenes at Pickle Cottage to the nitty- gritty of life with small children.
And while fans inundate the star with positive messages, she has previously faced backlash over displaying her wealth.
When posting a snapshot of her entire family holidaying in Jamaica over the New Year, which Stacey had paid for, one follower wrote, “It gets a bit too much exposing the wealth that other peeps can’t dream of. You can’t be a working-class hero and a mega spender!”
In August, she was also forced to defend her family holiday snaps, telling fans to “unfollow” her after the backlash she received. One follower commented, “Lots of people can’t afford to put food on the table or pay fuel bills."
However, the source says that Joe is adamant that Stacey – who was rushed to hospital with a mystery bug over New Year – can’t carry on spinning so many plates and says they should look into getting some paid help.
The source says, “Joe wants Stacey to delegate and get more help in, but there is no way Stacey will agree to getting nannies or cleaners. She has told Joe that is not who she is. Her career is built on being a relatable and busy mum. They can’t rely on getting help in and she just needs to be able to delegate – to him!”