Stacey Solomon reveals the secret to a happy marriage is to fight as new show lifts the lid on the ‘perfect couple’
STACEY Solomon has revealed the secret to a happy marriage is in fact fighting.
The mum-of-five was recently left fuming after a row with her husband Joe Swash on their new BBC reality series, titled, Stacey And Joe.
The 35-year-old had been looking forward to her first meeting to discuss the creation of her debut fragrance, but it was disrupted by her crying children.
Why? Because Joe was running late.
Halfway through the meeting, a breathless Joe entered the room and apologised for being late by 20 minutes, blaming it on traffic.
However, Stacey was quick to correct him, saying he was actually closer to five hours late, prompting her associate to take a swipe at Joe’s 20-minute guestimate.
After Joe left the room with their youngest in tow, Stacey’s face betrayed her disappointment by his timing.
The family then spent time in the garden and there appeared to be tension between them.
Stacey explained that Joe liked to wallow in self-pity when he felt hard done by. However, the frosty atmosphere didn’t last long as the kids splashed around the Pickle Cottage pool.
But it comes after the pair candidly opened up about their marriage on the podcast Newlyweds hosted by Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo.
Jamie asked: “What do you think the secret is to a happy marriage?”
“Fight,” Stacey immediately said.
“Always have an argument if there’s something on your mind.”
“The worst thing we could do, the thing that splits us apart the most, is building resentment and not saying what we’re thinking.
“As soon as we have it out and say ‘I hate this,’ ‘This is p**sing me off’ That’s when everything lets go and you can reset and start from zero and just be back on the same page again.
Joe added: “And also embrace the hatred.
Stacey Solomon's career so far
Stacey Solomon has been a familiar face on viewers' screens for over a decade. Let's take a look back at her career.
The X Factor (2009): Stacey competed in series six of long-running ITV singing competition The X Factor. During her time in the show, she was mentored by Danni Minogue in the ‘Girls’ category. The star finished in third place, behind Joe McElderry and Olly Murs.
I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here (2010); In late 2010, Stacey headed to the infamous I’m A Celeb Aussie jungle. After 21 days, she triumphed to win the tenth series. It was through I’m A Celeb that she met future husband Joe Swash – who’d won two years earlier and was hosting the ITV2 spinoff.
Celebrity Juice (2011―2013, 2016―2019): The star appeared as a panellist on 21 episodes of the comedy panel game show hosted by Keith Lemon. Stacey was a regular in the 21st series, broadcast in 2019.
Loose Women (2016 – present): Stacey has been a permanent panel member of the daytime show since 2016. She previously made guest appearances in 2011 and 2012.
Sort Your Life Out (2022 -present): This BBC show sees Stacey, with the help of an expert team, transform participants’ living spaces after removing clutter.
“Sometimes, it’s natural to sort of go ‘Right, I need five minutes to myself, It’s not cause I don’t love you. I need 5 minutes to sit down, recharge.'”
While people were outraged by Joe’s lateness, Stacey is said to be horrified by the backlash.
One wrote: “How hard was it for Joe to be on time!! Gosh, he’s like another child for Stacey!”
Another moaned: “This show is making me exasperated for poor Stacey.”
A source close to the couple revealed to OK!: “Stacey and Joe want to work from home and show off their beautiful house and happy family.
“They want it to be like a more down-to-earth version of The Kardashians! But the fact is, with that, you do get criticism and people giving their opinions—more so than they realised.
“Joe can be very sensitive to criticism and gets very upset by it, so doing the show is not as easy as it seems.”
Speaking on the new show before it was released, Stacey said: “I think in terms of what we’ve learned by each other is that there’s things 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.”
Despite the backlash, people who watch the podcast were thrilled to see the couple’s honest views on marriage.
One person wrote: “Absolutely LOVING this chat. They are so honest and real. Hearing Stacey and Sophie talk about how they are in relationships really makes me feel seen, lol. Brilliant, brilliant episode.”
Another commented: “This made me laugh from start to finish!!! Love the open and honest relationship convos.”
“So nice to hear some advice on relationships. Needed this. Love Stacey and Joe. Realest couple,” penned a third.
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