Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash have been sharing their countdown to Christmas with fans, posting sweet snaps of festive outings and home-made decorations at their idyllic Essex home. But as the New Year rolls around, 2024 could ring in some big changes for the couple.
Last week Joe, 41, hinted that, after leaving his role as EastEnders’ Mickey Miller 12 years ago after playing the part for five years from 2003 to 2008, he’d be keen to return to the soap that made his name.
Reminiscing about his time in Albert Square after filming a Christmas special – which sees some of Walford’s biggest names come together for a one-off reunion – Joe said, “It’s really nice. You know, it’s nice to still have a relationship with EastEnders after all these years, which I really like.
“Maybe if I get a chance to go back, I’ll always go back. It’s a part of me, it’s something that’s a part of my past.”
However, while an insider tells Closer that Stacey, 34, backs his return to acting and is “100 per cent” supportive of his dreams, she can’t help but worry over being torn apart by the long working hours and the effect it could have on their busy family life.
The couple, who share three children – Rex, four, Rose, two, and 10-month-old Belle – as well as Stacey’s two sons, Zach, 15, and Leighton, 11, and Joe’s son Harry, 16, from previous relationships, have always managed to juggle their hectic work schedules with bedtimes, school runs and homework.
But our insider says Stacey fears that Joe having to adhere to a strict filming schedule could push them to the edge, after admitting in August that they were “struggling to say the least to be good parents” as they juggled their careers and home life.
The source says, “Of course, nothing is confirmed – but it’s no secret that producers would love to have Joe back on board. But Stacey’s anxious about the thought of Joe returning to EastEnders permanently and dreads the prospect of being left alone if he’s working gruelling 18-hour days on set.
“Of course she’d fully support his decision, but there’s a part of her that feels like their lives would be turned upside down.
“Hearing Joe speak about his time on EastEnders and the crazy long days filming – often spending the night in a hotel after finishing late – she’s scared of the thought of him no longer being that constant support at home, both emotionally and physically.”
Stacey has always been refreshingly candid that, behind her picture-perfect social media posts, she regularly suffers crippling anxiety, and admits she can feel “out of control” and suffer with “intrusive thoughts”, including imposter syndrome and an irrational fear of dying.
She has said, “When things are going wrong, I just immediately, my brain goes to the most intrusive thoughts that it possibly could. I just think, ‘Oh my gosh, this could happen to me tomorrow and then I could not wake up’.”
And while the Sort Your Life Out star – who admitted her anxiety was “through the roof” ahead of Joe’s stag-do abroad last year – has said she uses tidying and crafting as coping mechanisms, the source says Joe is often on hand to help put things into perspective.
The insider adds, “It’s no secret Stacey struggles with her mental health and Joe always comforts and soothes her worries. She’s worried about not having him there to support her when she feels panicked and how she might feel overwhelmed if he’s not around.”
But the source says doting dad and husband Joe has reassured Stacey that he will do everything he can to put her mind at ease and that they will continue to work as a team.
They add, “Joe has assured her that if he returns, he will be setting very strict boundaries about his work hours – insisting that he will not miss out on the kids’ lives and how things will be very different from when he first starred on the show as a much younger, single guy.
“He’s told Stacey that if she didn’t feel comfortable with it, he wouldn’t do it, but she knows he’s longing to go back. She also knows it would give her an opportunity to gain some more independence and find the courage as well as the confidence to know she’ll be OK on her own too.”