She first joined Loose Women in 2016. And, after welcoming her daughter Rose, fans were looking forward to Stacey Solomon’s return to the show. But according to our insider, the presenter, 32, is torn as to whether to go back to the ITV panel show, or call it quits after a six-year stint.
“Stacey has been wondering for months if she has outgrown the show. Her dream is to have her own home makeover series and rely less on having to give out controversial opinions and focus more on her creative energy and skills,” a source tells Closer.
“She’s grateful to Loose Women, but she finds life stressful and doesn’t want to deal with the grief of who gets paid more, who sits where, who gets the most airtime, and then all the troll comments when you give out a personal opinion that people don’t like. It’s all too much for her right now.
“But at the same time – leaving such a big show fills Stacey with fear. She can suffer badly from anxiety and imposter syndrome, where she thinks everything in her career could get taken away from her – or fans might turn on her overnight and she’ll suddenly find herself cancelled. She doesn’t want to bite the hand that feeds her, so she is feeling really torn.”
Despite stepping back from her commitments to take her maternity leave before having baby Rose in October, Stacey only took three months off and has been busier than ever.
A source says, “She has been able to take Rose with her to work up until now and the thought of that changing upsets her.
"These six months have gone so quickly with Rose and it breaks her heart that she will probably be her last baby, so she wants to spend as much time as possible with her. Working on her own terms would make this easier. She loves Loose Women, but she has to fit in around their filming.”
Enjoying a lucrative deal with fashion brand In The Style, the former X Factor star has also been filming as the co-host opposite Liam Charles for the new series of Bake Off: The Professionals.
And her decluttering show Sort Your Life Out has been commissioned for a second series – and been nominated in the Best Features category at this year’s BAFTAs.
“Sitting in front of the fire drying my hair, and I’ve just found out that Sort Your Life Out has been nominated for a BAFTA,” Stacey told her social media followers last week.
“It’s like it’s the weirdest feeling ever! I just rang my mum and was like, ‘Mum, I’m up for a BAFTA! Who’d have thought it!’
“I just wanted to come on and say thank you for watching it and loving it, because there’s no way we would’ve even been considered if it wasn’t for that.”
Check out: Stacey Solomon’s top 10 budget tips to transform your home
Stacey Solomonu2019s top 10 budget tips to transform your home - slider
1 of 10Create a crisp 'closet'
Make messy kitchen cupboards a thing of the past, with Stacey's ingenious tip. She fixes a small curtain pole – called a tension rod – inside her cupboard, then attaches hooks with crocodile clips. They can then be used to hang packets, from crisps, to pasta sauces and rice sachets. She has named this handy hack her "closet for sauces".
2 of 10Embrace wonky shelving
Fed up with food going out of date? To keep closer tabs on jars and tins, Stacey installs shelving to tilt forward so she can see what's at the back. It's important to use her trusty tension rods at the front, attaching them securely to avoid smashing any tins or jars. She's also a fan of lazy Susans – rotating turntables which maximise space and make it easy to find tins. Get them at IKEA, Amazon and John Lewis.
3 of 10Give spaces a playful touch
While Stacey's style is chic and stylish, she isn't afraid to be playful. While recently renovating one of the family bathrooms, the doting mum repurposed a collection of plastic dinosaurs in order to give two-year-old son Rex his dream bath time. In an adorable image on Instagram, she showed how she had used a giant dinosaur claw as a soap dish, stuck dinosaur footprints to the bath steps and secured dinosaur feet to the wall. No more soap dodging from now on…
4 of 10Label your food
In a bid to make midweek meals easier, the busy mum-of-four prepares the week's veggies on a Sunday. Stacey chops the food, then pops it into pretty glass containers, which are labelled with the days of the week for ease. Always use clear containers, so you can see what you have – you'll find options that can be personalised on Etsy.
5 of 10Roll and pack
Packing for a family of six can be chaotic, but Stacey keeps things organised by using a drawer divider inside her suitcase. The dividers, which have six compartments, keep everyone's clothes separate. Stacey also rolls clothes, which ensures they fit and that items are easy to find. No more throwing everything on the floor when you're trying to find your pyjamas!
6 of 10‘Sort and systemise’
In her BBC show, Sort Your Life Out, Stacey helps people declutter by emptying the entire contents of their home into a warehouse. She then separates items into keep, donate or throw away piles. Afterwards, the "keepers" are returned to the home and stored in an organised way. Do this at home by taking one room at a time, and laying out items on the floor.
7 of 10Make a memory box
Every mum knows that kids' memorabilia can be a huge cause of clutter. Instead of letting it take over, Stacey suggests creating a memory box for each child. Make it large enough to store their precious things, but small enough to store on top of a wardrobe or under a bed.
8 of 10Upcycle homeware
Breathing new life into old homeware or charity shop finds doesn't always mean being a master at upcycling. Stacey's favourite product is Rust-Oleum spray paint (£9.48). Transforming anything from benches to vases, Stacey takes the items outside – first spraying them with the smooth version of the spray before adding texture with the brand's "pebble" effect spray.
9 of 10Make your bed hotel-worthy
Instead of ironing her linen, Stacey uses a clothes hanger to get a freshly laundered look. Admitting she used to break her nails trying to tuck in her duvet, she now uses the hanger to "shove it" down the side of her mattress. She says, "I love not being able to get into my bed at night. I like peeling up a corner and it almost hugging me to sleep. If you want to feel like you're in a hotel, add some faux flowers [on top]."
10 of 10Use magnetic strips for utensils
Organising your house needn't be expensive, and Stacey regularly shops at high street stores like Primark, IKEA and The Range. One of her top money-saving tips is to use basic magnetic strips with a sticky backing to keep kitchen utensils – like pizza cutters and can openers – easily accessible. Just make sure you use a safety latch if the cupboard is on a lower level.
She also revealed last week that her wedding to fiancé Joe Swash is imminent, telling fans, “This morning I had to meet with the caterers and florists because I almost forgot we are getting married in three months’ time. My whole stomach is turning over – I’m so nervous!”
On top of all that, Stacey can earn £12k in a single Instagram endorsement thanks to the 5.1million fans following her DIY tips as she renovates her and Joe’s dream home – quadruple the price of what she is paid for an episode of Loose Women.
So it’s no wonder that Joe – who Stacey began dating in 2015, before he popped the question five years later – is cheering his partner on to have more belief in herself. “Joe has been encouraging her to make a bold leap of faith,”the insider continues. “They’ve talked about becoming a presenting duo and being the UK’s answer to Chip and Joanna Gaines from the HGTV channel.
With all the creative things she’s done to renovate [their home] Pickle Cottage, Joe thinks Stacey would be a natural at a home makeover show – and she wouldn’t have to worry about upsetting people like she does on Loose Women.
“Stacey hates the drama attached to the show. It gives her added anxiety. But after welcoming baby Rose and going through the pandemic, her perspective has changed. She doesn’t want to do things that don’t make her happy. She’s pleased that Joe is championing her to try new things.”
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And although Stacey – who as well as sharing son Rex, two, with Joe, is also mum to Zachary, 14, and Leighton, nine, from previous relationships – has made a career from her down-to-earth image, our source adds that the star is ready to put her loved ones first at the risk of losing a steady pay cheque from Loose Women.
“Stacey’s a people-pleaser – she would hate to upset the friends she’s made on the show or for people to think she’s a diva. She just wants a change and not to have to live in fear of saying the wrong thing and getting a huge online backlash.
“Her mates have encouraged her to trust her gut and do what she feels is right for her.”