It’s clearly been a tough time for Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash after their out-of-character row last month. And Stacey has revealed she’s been feeling the pressure as her husband Joe has been absent, and will be away for the majority of the next month on pantomime duty.
The 35-year-old recently admitted in a candid Instagram story that she feels ‘estranged’ from Joe, 42, as he prepares to star in Beauty And The Beast in Bedfordshire, over an hour’s drive away from Pickle Cottage, where the family resides in Essex, and will only have four days off over Christmas until January.
Speaking to her army of followers, Stacey said in her post, ‘Home sweet home with my husband who has been estranged. He’s doing panto this year, which the kids are so excited about. But it means that he is in rehearsals every single day and he doesn’t finish until 7 January, so we don’t get to see him.’
And now the source tells Closer that tensions are mounting for the Loose Women panellist as she tries to juggle motherhood and work alone.
An insider says, ‘It’s all getting a bit too much for Stacey – the kids, the house and work, she’s got a lot on her plate. She’s told pals that in the run-up to Christmas there just aren’t enough hours in the day, and now she’s doing it all alone.
‘Stacey admits she’s feeling burnt out, emotional and overwhelmed. Her commitments are stacking up and with little or no help from Joe.’
Stacey and Joe – who married in 2022 after seven years of dating – raised eyebrows recently when they were photographed having an argument in the street, while filming their new reality show. Joe was pictured storming off while Stacey was consoled by a member of the production team.
Closer previously reported that the argument was due to Stacey being ‘exhausted’ from her overwhelming schedule. It seemed the pair had put it all behind them, with Stacey – who shares Rex, five, Rose, three, and Belle, one, with Joe, as well as her sons Zachary, 16, and Leighton, 12, from previous relationships – arriving home from her trip to the US days later with a smiling Joe waiting for her at the airport with a ‘Welcome home’ sign.
But insiders say that the trip – which saw Stacey head to Vegas on all-expenses-paid trip to watch an Adele concert with some of her best pals – wasn’t the relaxing break the presenter had hoped for, and left her feeling more exhausted.
A source says, ‘Vegas wasn’t exactly the R&R Stacey expected – it was amazing but exhausting. She and Joe agreed that she needed to have some down time before she had to become responsible for pretty much everything at home while he did pantomime.
‘She loves Joe for agreeing to that, but the combination of jet lag and not getting as much sleep as she’d planned means she came back feeling more tired than she was before she left.
‘As a full-time working mum, Stacey relies on Joe to be her rock, but she’s currently a panto widow and spinning a lot of plates at once. She does have some help, but she feels alone in what is supposed to be a happy, family-orientated time of year.’
While being a mum is her number one job, Stacey has had multiple big TV projects this year – including her BBC show, Sort Your Life Out, and her Channel 4 show, Stacey Solomon’s Renovation Rescue, while Joe has been prioritising being a stay-at-home dad.
And the source insists that Stacey is fully supportive of her husband – who found fame as Mickey Miller on EastEnders in 2003 – and his latest return to acting.
‘Stacey is so excited to see Joe in panto and is supporting him 100%, but she feels like she’s running on empty and it’s only just begun,’ we’re told.
‘Joe is up at the crack of dawn every morning and gets home late every night, so it’s no wonder she’s finding it tough – she does feel estranged from him.’
Stacey has already been making solo appearances out and about at showbiz events in the past few weeks, as Joe eases his way into his new schedule, with her attending last week’s Beauty Awards alone.
She also took her children to the opening of this year’s Winter Wonderland at London’s Hyde Park and to the UK premiere of Moana 2 without her husband.
‘Stacey fully supports Joe in his career, he’s a huge asset to them and panto is good money – it’s also important he does his thing,’ the source says.
‘Stacey is aware that keeping the dynamic between them equal is important. It’s not easy when the woman is the sole bread winner – Joe is a man’s man and very proud.
‘Their friends are confident things will settle into place and Stacey will find her mojo. This isn’t really that big a deal, she’s just feeling overwhelmed and is missing her rock.’
