Stacey Solomon explains why Joe Swash wants her to be ‘a baby machine’ and why she has to ‘pick her battles’, while Joe admits he gets ‘defensive’ during their rows

Stacey and Joe have filmed a reality show that will air on Tuesday 1 April , 8pm, BBC One(Image: BBC/Optomen Television/Elisabeth Hoff)

With five children aged between two and 17, Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash are living in their “stress era”. Life for the family is “at the peak of craziness” but they wouldn’t have it any other way. And luckily for viewers, they’ve invited cameras into their home to capture every single moment of marvellous mayhem that happens to their enormous family.

“Our house is full of love, full of life, full of energy and we love it like that,” says Joe. “This is such a lovely family album to have. In years to come when the kids are getting married, we’ll have so much footage to show the them what they were like.”

Stacey Solomon gives husband Joe Swash a piggy back(Image: BBC/Optomen Television/Elisabeth Hoff)

The new BBC show, titled Stacey And Joe , will feature the couple at their enormous Tudor-style Essex home, which they call Pickle Cottage, with their children Zachary, 17, Leighton, 12, Rex, five, Rose, three, and Belle, two, plus their dogs Peanut and Teddy. There’s even cameo appearances from their four ducks and two cats!

It sounds like a full house, but it’s not quite busy enough for Joe, who also has a son called Harry from a previous relationship. “Me and Stacey are so blessed that we are able to have kids and have this amazing family,” shares Joe, 43. “But I’d love to have one more.”

Stacey, 35, is considerably less keen. “Joe would like me to be a baby machine!” says Stacey, rolling her eyes. Pressed more, Stacey has only two words to say: “I quit.”

While Stacey loves children, her body needs a rest. She says, “My pelvic floor is a shambles, the whole of my back is screaming at me. I can’t do it again.”

Stacey and Joe play with daughters Rose and Belle in their kitchen at Pickle Cottage(Image: BBC/Optomen Television)

However, Stacey adores being a mum and concedes Joe may get his wish, one day. “I would love to, maybe when they’re a bit older, and they’re all independent,” confides Stacey. “If we’re lucky enough and if we were privileged enough to have a baby then, that’s when I would consider it. But right now, I’m finally feeling like I’m recovering from three consecutive births. It’s a lot.” And actually, Joe understands. “I feel the same,” he jokes. “I’m recovering as well!”

Belle, the baby of the family, has just started nursery and it’s this development that is making Joe feel broody. “It’s the first time for ages we haven’t had a baby in the house,” says Joe. “I feel like I’m at a loose end, like something is missing.”

Rose and Stacey smile on a summer’s day (Image: BBC/Optomen Television)

To make matters harder, teenage Zach is learning to drive and getting his independence too. “I moan about driving him all over the place, but I’m gutted that he’s going to learn to drive,” says Joe. “I feel like I’m losing a part of me. What am I going to do with myself?”

Zach and Leighton were one of the driving forces behind the new show, excited by the idea of being on TV just like Stacey and Joe. “The older boys especially were like, ‘Oh my God, that would be so funny, can we do it?’” explains Stacey. “So they were excited about it and that’s what made us consider it in the first place.”

The first episode sees Stacey waking up Zach the afternoon after she allowed him to throw a party for his school pals. The teenager had previously promised his mum he’d be awake by 11am and help clear up after the bash. On the show he resists her pleas to take the bins out before making the mistake of swearing in front of his mum, who very quickly shuts him down, telling him, “I’m not joking, just because there’s people here doesn’t mean I won’t have that argument with you.”

Stacey and Joe kiss as they celebrate their wedding anniversary(Image: BBC/Optomen Television)

For Stacey, having boundaries is important. For Joe, having fun is important. Sometimes they clash, sometimes they find the right balance. One of Stacey’s rules is the children must earn their pocket money, because she wants them to understand that money is not free. “We don’t have inherited wealth that we can pass down for generations,” says Stacey. “It’s really important for them to know that this is our career and we will support our family in whichever way we can, but eventually they are their own person.

“They’re going to have their own lives and they need to have their own dreams, careers and that doesn’t come from us giving them everything. It’s a constant battle. Sometimes I just want to throw the towel in and be like, ‘Fine, don’t do anything,’ because they’re teenage boys. I feel like I’m always on their back.”

The Solomon Swashes take a family photo during a beach holiday in Turkey

Stacey insists her life isn’t glamorous but viewers of the show will see the family car is an expensive Lexus, the grounds of the home are huge and there is a pool in the back garden. However, Stacey has worked hard for her £1.2 million home and she wants her boys to have the same work ethic.

On the show, viewers will meet Stacey’s dad Dave, who she credits with bringing her up to work hard. “My dad didn’t treat us any differently, as soon as we got jobs, we had to contribute to the household,” shares Stacey. “I was excited to earn my own money and be financially independent. I want my children to be excited for that too. They’re fully aware that it’s not going to be given to them, and we don’t have it to give. That is really important to me.”

Her philosophy is also grounded in building her children’s self-esteem. “It’s a wider picture of their self-worth and their happiness in general,” she says. “I want them to feel accomplished and have things.”

Stacey and her brood finally get to the airport for a holiday

With her strong work ethic, it’s no surprise that Stacey is devastated on the show when Joe fails to turn up for a meeting about launching her own perfume – leaving her holding the babies while trying to discuss scents and packaging. It comes after he goes on a fishing trip with his pals and she specifically begs him not to let her down. “Sometimes I don’t think Joe realises the repercussions. That meeting was really important to me,” says Stacey. Eventually Joe turns up five hours late and has the good grace to look sheepish, scooping the kids up and taking them out of the meeting.

Most celebs would have cut the awkward moment, but the pair want viewers to see their struggles too. “So many people represent their lives as being so perfect on Instagram,” says Joe. “It’s our responsibility to show the real – the highs and the lows. It’s not all a bed of roses. Sometimes we argue.”

Filming arguments could potentially add pressure to their relationship, but Joe and Stacey have found being able to watch the footage back has actually helped the couple see each other’s point of view more easily. “What you see is what you get,” says Stacey. “What we’ve learnt about each other is that we’re not a perfect couple. We’ve never said we’re a perfect couple, but you get to watch yourself back, which is something that doesn’t happen often.”

Joe loves fishing and has told Stacey he wants to build his own lake

Lots of couples have therapy but Stacey has found being able to watch herself has taught her more about what is right and what is wrong with her marriage. “You might go to see somebody and talk through your relationship and they might give you advice, but you never get to [watch yourself] bickering,” explains Stacey. “We found that really interesting. There are definitely things in our communication where we’re like, ‘Wow, we could do that better. And we could talk about this more.’ It opens you up to the development of your relationship that you don’t always see in everyday life, because a lot of the time you’re just trudging through to get to the next day.”

Since filming the show, Stacey has tried to relax a bit more. “I am trying to pick my battles,” she says. “Sometimes I will watch myself and go, ‘Oh, gosh, you didn’t really need to pick up on that.’ There are bigger issues. That’s something that I definitely recognise now.”

Joe has had a similar experience. He’s realised just how lucky he is and noticed he can be too defensive at times. “Sometimes I need to sit back, I need to listen instead of being so defensive,” says Joe. “There are things we’re looking at that we can learn but the main thing I’ve learnt is that I’ve just got the most amazing family and most amazing kids. We’re so proud of them. They’re our little legacies.”

Stacey eats breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day(Image: BBC/Optomen Television)

The pair first met when Stacey was crowned Queen of the Jungle on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2010 and Joe was presenting the spin-off show for ITV2. They immediately felt a connection but they didn’t start dating until 2016, before tying the knot at their home in July 2022. Now the pair feel like they were always destined to be together. And since they started dating, they’ve never looked back. “I feel like the universe kept us away from each other until we were at certain parts of our lives,” says Joe. “We’ve had other relationships and stuff like that so I feel like it kept us away until we were ready to meet each other.”

For Stacey, who found fame on The X Factor in 2009, as soon as they started dating, everything fell into place. “I remember when we first got together and even some of our family were like, ‘Of course, that makes perfect sense!’” she says.

Stacey makes Zac and Leighton take out the bins – and it’s a fair distance up their enormous drive(Image: BBC/Optomen Television)

“I remember someone saying in the pub, ‘I thought you two were together already!’” laughs Joe. For both of them, despite their bickering, they’ve never been happier. “As soon as we were spending time together, we were both like, ‘This is so easy,’ and we hadn’t had a relationship that was as easy before,” says Stacey.

Watching their reality show back, Stacey has realised how proud she is of her family. “I don’t know if this will sound really big headed,” she says. “But I look at us sometimes and I think we are smashing it. We do love each other and we do have an incredible family and it gets intense. It’s our stress era!”