Stacey Solomon is facing a career crisis as she comes to term with the reality that she’s about to become a ‘momager.’
The Sort Your Life Out host has told pals that as her kids grow older, and with Zach having caught the bug for acting after his recent Hollyoaks stint, she’s now planning how she can become the UK’s answer to Kris Jenner and help her kids succeed in the spotlight.
Last week, the star celebrated Zach’s 17th birthday, which had her reminiscing about his childhood. In an emotional post, she wrote, ‘It’s so strange to think that when I was your age you were in my tummy… I’m so proud of who you are, Zach. The last 17 years have been the best years of my life. It hasn’t always been easy, but growing up with you made me who I am and having you by my side since I was your age now has been the biggest blessing I could have ever wished for.’
But insiders report that Stacey, 35, sometimes struggles with the idea of her sons getting older and wanting to launch their own careers.
A source tells Closer, ‘Stacey doesn’t blame her kids for wanting to be in the spotlight, especially now they’re featuring in her new reality show. They’re no strangers to the showbiz world and so it’s only natural that Zach and Leighton have wanted to give it a go by appearing on Hollyoaks. Stacey just finds it overwhelming as she’s already imagining a future of having to help manage the careers of five children one day and she’s not sure how she would juggle that with her own career.’
Stacey and her husband Joe Swash, 43, live in their £1.3m home, affectionately known as Pickle Cottage, with their blended family. The pair have six children between them, including 17-year-old Zach — who Stacey had when she was a teenager with her then-boyfriend Dean Cox— 12-year-old Leighton — whose father is Stacey’s ex-fiancé Aaron Barnham — as well as Rex, five, Rose, three, and Belle, two, all of whom she shares with Joe. Joe also has another 17-year-old son, Harry, from a previous relationship.
The family are all well acquainted with being in the public eye and regularly feature on Stacey’s Instagram account, which boasts over 6m followers.
Given that both of their parents work in show business — Joe starred on EastEnders for five years and was crowned King of the Jungle on I’m a Celeb..! in 2008 — it’s no wonder their kids are happy in the limelight. They will also appear in a fly-on-the-wall reality series, Stacey & Joe, that will follow the couple’s day-to-day lives at Pickle Cottage. The Kardashian-style show will likely serve as a launchpad for the children’s careers and no doubt further boost their rising stars.
And insiders say that Stacey’s feeling unsure as she faces the stresses of becoming ‘momager’ in order to protect her kids from their growing stardom.
Our source says, ‘Stacey’s a proper mama bear and she’s going to be looking out for her children no matter what they choose to do in life. So, if it means she must become a ruthless “momager” like Kris Jenner then so be it.’
The insider continues, ‘She sometimes worries that she’s biting off more than she can chew, so she’s trying to take it one step at a time.’
Stacey was just a teenager herself when she rose to fame on The X Factor back in 2009 — where she came third place — before carving out a name for herself as a TV star. As a result, she knows all too well how fame can affect a young person.
The source adds, ‘Seeing Zach all grown up and heading into his own career takes her back to when she auditioned for X Factor when she was only 19. It was quite a scary time for her, and she doesn’t want that for Zach or any of her kids.’
Stacey knows she’ll need to step up and protect them as much as possible, especially when the rest of her children launch their own careers.
‘She fears that now all her kids will want to follow in Zach and Leighton’s footsteps and she’s not going to be able to keep tabs on all of them if they’re each doing different things in the spotlight. She knows she can be a control freak and she’s not ready to let her kids fully fly the nest. She doesn’t like the idea of becoming a full-time “momager,” but she’s wondering if this will be her reality one day.’