She has had a fun-filled summer with her family, ranging from a five-star Turkish getaway to making an abundance of memories at home in the UK. But Stacey Solomon opened up to her fans last week about how it made her feel when she was home alone with baby Belle.
Explaining that her husband, Joe Swash, 41, took their eldest children, Rex, four, and 23-month-old Rose, to Spain to see his mum, the social media star wrote, “Time to pick up my babies. I haven’t seen them in a whole week. Me and Joe were too nervous for him to take all three, so we teamed up.”
Then, referring to their six-month- old daughter, Stacey continued, “I didn’t say anything because it scares me people knowing I’m home alone with Belle.”
While both Joe and Stacey have busy careers – as well as being parents to six children between them – the couple are firm homebodies and Stacey often tells her fans how being at home, surrounded by her family, is her favourite place in the world. But with Joe and the older kids away, insiders say Stacey couldn’t help but feel anxious for their return.
A source says, “It’s no secret that Stacey is prone to worrying, but she really struggled during Joe’s trip away. She hates being apart from the kids for any length of time and while she normally keeps fans updated with every detail of her life, she decided tostay off social media while Joe was away.”
Stacey – who is also mum to Zach, 15, and Leighton, 11, from previous relationships – and former EastEnders star Joe moved into their Tudor-style home two years ago, where they have been raising their blended family ever since.
Recently speaking about her dream home, Stacey admitted that getting on the property ladder was “not even in her foresight” growing up. She said, “Me and Joe, sometimes when we’re in our house, we just can’t believe it’s actually real and we get to live and raise our kids here.”
The Loose Women panellist, 33, regularly shares life updates with her 5.7million followers, but an insider previously told Closer that she was rethinking her relationship with social media and reflecting on how it can be addictive and unhealthy.
The source explains, “Stacey has really struggled to stay off social media, but she’s started to worry about missing precious moments with her family and she doesn’t want to be glued to her phone all the time.”
In recent months, celebrity house raids have hit the headlines, with Kate and Rio Ferdinand falling victim to an intrusion at their South London home in May.
Stacey has disclosed her security concerns in the past, telling fans in 2021 that she wouldn’t be filming a house tour because she was “scared it’s a burglar’s dream”.
She went on to explain why putting up floor plans at fans’ requests was something that didn’t sit well with her. Considering the outcomes, she said, “Am I just being paranoid or... I don’t know. I feel like I’d rather [the burglars] get lost looking around if they’re going to come than have almost like a map of it.”
She added, “Sometimes you get paranoid thinking you’re being secretive, but there are just some things that you’re too worried about sharing.”
And while an insider says that the influencer is careful not to take any risks when it comes to safety, they explain Joe is always there to relieve her of any fears.
The source says, “Joe knows she loves having people around her, and so has encouraged her to have more family and friends visit round the clock and even stay over when he’s away so she doesn’t feel alone. Her friends have told her that they’re always there for her.
“Stacey sometimes feels like she’s in a catch-22 situation because she wants to show off her home and all the nice things inside it for her overall social media presence – but at the same time, she doesn’t want to worry.”
After explaining it was the longest time she’d been away from her little ones, Stacey told fans she was thrilled to be getting her “babies back” and went on to share the family’s wholesome weekend together once they were reunited.
Sharing snaps of Joe and the kids, Stacey wrote, “A wholesome weekend at home. That’s it. Doesn’t happen often. Just stayed home all weekend doing my favourite things in the world. Eating ALL the food, being with family, walks, games and cuddles. Do you ever have one of those weekends where you don’t want to go to bed on the last night because you know it’s back to reality tomorrow? That’s me right now. It really is the little things isn’t it...”