Stacey Solomon is happily married to Joe Swash – but her love life hasn’t exactly been plain sailing.
A proud mum to five, Stacey has son Leighton, 12, with her ex-fiance Aaron Barnham, and Zachary, 16, with her former teenage boyfriend Dean Cox. She also shares son Rex, 5, and daughters Rose, 3, and Belle – who is just k we 1, with husband Joe Swash.
But why was Stacey left “really hurt” by her split from American star Steve-O? Who did she end up getting engaged to after a holiday romance? And why wasn’t she keen on starting a family with Joe Swash? Keep on reading to find out…
Stacey Solomon and first baby father Dean
Stacey’s childhood sweetheart was Dean Cox – who she went on to welcome her first son, Zachary, 16, with. The pair met while she was studying performing arts at Havering College.
She fell pregnant at 17 and they split up later on – with single mum Stacey later shooting to fame on the X Factor in 2009 when she was 19.
But according to Stacey, she spent her years as a teen mum filled with ‘shame’.
Speaking in 2018 on Loose Women she said: “I always felt the stigma [more] of being a young mum and any of those doubts that me alone wasn’t enough for my child came from within rather than from anybody else,” she told ITV’s Loose Women in 2018.
“I felt that I personally attacked myself and and didn’t believe in myself enough to raise children. I was more conscious of people thinking ‘look at that kid with a kid.’ I don’t even know if people knew if I was a single parent or not.”
Stacey Solomon and Aaron Barnham
In 2011, Stacey got engaged to painter Aaron Barnham after meeting on holiday in Greece in 2009. He proposed in New York’s Central Park during a romantic carriage ride.
Going from strength to strength, the pair then welcomed their son Leighton in May 2012.
However, in 2014 they ended their engagement.
At the time it was reported that Stacey was the one who ended things, with sources claiming they had “grown apart”.
Speaking about the split, Stacey told Closer magazine she had to “constantly remind myself that everything is okay.”
She explained: “I have the most amazing family, children and friends around me. I really appreciate how much they’ve been there for me. I’m so focused on everything I do and my children that I don’t even notice if I’m single or not.”
Stacey ‘really liked’ Steve-O
In 2015, Stacey struck up a romance with American comedian and stunt performer Steve-O.
The pair met while starring on reality show The Jump – and their friendship soon blossomed into something more….
Appearing on Lorraine that year, Stacey coyly replied: “Maybe,” when asked if she was in love with the Jackass star.
“I really like him. We just ended up being together all of the time on the show. He doesn’t take life too seriously and I love that. That’s what attracted me to him,” Stacey shared.
She added: “On the last day I thought ‘Oh no, I’m never going to see him again’ so it all started from there really.”
Stacey ‘really hurt’ by Steve-O split
However, it wasn’t meant to be, as after just six months Steve-O called it quits.
At the time, Stacey’s representative told MailOnline: “Stacey is really hurt by the whole situation, and it’s not something she feels able to talk about at this moment in time.”
Meanwhile, years later in 2022, Steve-O reflected on their romance, revealing he ‘still beats himself up’ over the way he ended things.
“I was smitten, I lavished her with attention, I got what I wanted and then I broke it off,” Steve-O later revealed in an extract of his autobiography.
He went on: “I had become not only part of her life, I’d become part of her kids’ lives too. And then – poof – I was gone… To this day, I still beat myself up about the way it went down.”
Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash
The heartbreak seemed to have worked in Stacey’s favour though, as in 2016 she started dating future husband and baby father Joe Swash.
The pair first met during the tenth series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2010.
And it turns out for Joe, he fancied Stacey as soon as he set sights on her. However, due to them both having partners at the time, he didn’t act on his feelings.
Fast forward to 2016, and the pair went official on Instagram, with Stacey at the time revealing in an interview: “It’s going really well. We’re having fun, spending time together and getting to know each other.”
Stacey Solomon children
Going from strength to strength, in October 2018 Joe – who who is also a dad to son Harry whom he shares with his ex-partner Emma Sophocleous – and Stacey moved in with one another. And in May 2019, their first child Rex was born.
Cementing their romance, Joe and Stacey got engaged a year later on 24 December 2020.
Then in October 2021, their second child, a daughter called Rose, was born.
Nearly a year later, and Stacey and Joe tied the knot at their Pickle Cottage home on 24 July 2022 – before Stacey gave birth to their third child, Belle in 2023.
Stacey on why she didn’t want kids with Joe
Although Stacey and Joe have gone on to welcome three children, the TV star previously shared a candid confession about not starting a family with Joe.
According to the Loose Women favourite, this was over potential judgement she’d receive from having three kids from different dads.
In 2017, she told Star magazine: “You worry about, ‘If the father of my next child lives with me, do the other kids then feel bad about being left out?’ It’s a difficult dynamic.
“A lot of people make you feel bad about having different children to different people. It doesn’t seem that bad, but it’s hard for people to digest and they think it’s unfair on the kids.”
She added: “Joe and I] talk about it. But briefly. Joe’s got his boy and I’ve got mine. The boys love Joe. It’s just doing what’s right for the children rather than what we selfishly want.”
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