Stacey Solomon delighted fans over Christmas when she announced that she was expecting her fifth child. Taking to Instagram with the happy news, she wrote, “So grateful and cannot believe I’m saying this… Another little pickle is on the way… A huge surprise, but one that we are so thankful for.” And in a follow-up post, Stacey told fans that she was already eight months along, writing, “So this time next month we will be getting ready to say hello to a whole new pickle!”
Despite the influx of excited pregnancy posts, insiders say that the mum-of-four, 33, is secretly struggling over the
new arrival.
A source tells Closer, “There’s no question that Stacey is excited about adding to her family yet again, but she’s also having waves of fear when she thinks about how it’s all going to work out logistically. Rose is only one and still needs a lot of care and attention, the boys are running about the place, so she knows it’s going to be pure chaos. There are times when she wonders how she’s going to make it work. She knows you always end up finding a way eventually, but sometimes feels she’s not strong enough.”
The new arrival will be Stacey’s third child with husband Joe Swash, 40, as they already share three-year-old Rex and daughter Rose, who they welcomed in October 2021. Stacey also has two older sons from previous relationships – Zach, 14, with ex-partner Dean Cox, and Leighton, 10, with ex-fiancé Aaron Barham – while Joe has a son Harry, 15, from his relationship with Emma Sophocleous.
Since rising to fame on The X Factor in 2009, Stacey has amassed millions of followers who follow her idyllic life at Pickle Cottage – the £1.2m Essex home where she lives with Joe and their blended family.
But she hasn’t shied away from detailing the highs and lows of parenthood. In April 2021, the Loose Women panellist opened up about her battle with postnatal depression after she welcomed Zach when she was 18.
She said, “I definitely have moments now with Zachy where I think, ‘Oh, I wish I loved you from the very first minute’. Not that I didn’t, I’m sure I did, I just didn’t feel it. And it brings me tremendous guilt – especially when I’ve loved my other children as soon as they were born. I immediately think, ‘Wow, I was terrible when I had Zach’.
“But it is what it is. I can’t change it – it’s just the way I felt. It made me prepared every other time I’ve given birth. I was prepared to feel that way, and I knew it would pass. That is just the most comforting feeling, because when I was in it with Zach I genuinely thought, ‘I’m never going to be happy again, I’ll never love my child’, and it made me feel horrendous.”
Stacey has also bravely opened up about her battle with anxiety, previously explaining that she uses cleaning as a coping strategy. She said, “The only way for me to completely block out those thoughts when I’m feeling out of control is to focus my mind on a task and that can be tidying something, organising something or crafting something.”
And sources say that she is worried about how the new baby will alter the dynamics at Pickle Cottage.
“She’s worried about how it’s all going to look on her social media landscape. Even though she sometimes claims to be a messy mum holding it together, everything is very carefully curated when it comes to showing fans her home – and she had already found that task challenging after she gave birth to Rose. She’s terrified of Joe having to go off for work, which is bound to happen,” an insider tells Closer.
“She’s also scared it’s going to turn Pickle Cottage into a mad house and that could put an added strain on her and Joe. He’s thrilled they’re having another child, but is also sharing some of Stacey’s concerns.”
The Essex-born star has a strong network of friends and family around her, which includes her best pal, cleaning influencer Sophie Hinchliffe (Mrs Hinch) and her older sister Jemma. In an Instagram post, Stacey shared how much her friendship with Sophie means to her, writing, “Genuine friends are such a blessing. No negativity, just love and good vibes”.
And now, as she prepares for her new arrival, she is focusing on keeping her nearest and dearest close by.
A source says, “She’s doing everything she can to stay calm and work out a plan of action. She’s calling on all her friends and family for support because she’s genuinely worried about how she’s going to hold it all together once the baby arrives. But she’s going to stay focused on keeping as calm as she possibly can. She and Joe made a promise to each other that, no matter what happens, they’re going to make sure this baby will make them stronger as a couple. Stacey knows how lucky she is to have such a big family when many people don’t get the opportunity.”