Stacey Solomon shares ‘hardest’ part of raising blended family with ex

TV star Stacey Solomon has revealed one of the toughest parts of raising a blended family is the “logistics”.

The former X Factor star, 35, is a mother of five. She had her first child, Zach, 17, with her ex Dean Cox when she was just a teenager and is also mum to Leighton, 13, from a previous relationship.

She shares Rex, five, Rose, three, and two-year-old Belle with her hubby Joe Swash. Tying the knot in 2022, Stacey also became stepmum to Joe’s 17-year-old son Harry from another relationship.

In an upcoming episode of her BBC One show Stacey & Joe, the popular presenter discusses the challenges of co-parenting Zach with her ex and teenage love Dean, who was 20 when Zach was born, reports the Mirror.

“Outside of the emotional part of having a blended family, I’d say the hardest thing is logistics,” Stacey reveals.

“There is no room for error. You have to be super organised, otherwise I’ll drive to the school to pick up Leighton, and he’s not even there because it’s his dad’s weekend.”

Joe chimes in: “They’ve either got clubs or they’re round their friends houses or they might be with their dads so every now and then, we get everyone in one place and we love it.”

The pair, who started their romance back in 2016, have shared that their Essex abode, affectionately named Pickle Cottage, has become the go-to gathering place for their extensive family.

Stacey said: “Pickle Cottage is like a magnet, everyone comes here and I won’t say that that’s by choice. I’d say we’ve created that.”

“We’ve created a monster,” Joe joked. “We’re a little bit like Jesus.”

He elaborated: “He made the bread go and feed the five thousand. Our house, we can start off for dinner just the five of us and we can have another six people arrive – but we make it work.”

In the upcoming third episode of the show, viewers will see Stacey and Joe throw a birthday bash for Zach’s 17th, with their brood and Dean and partner Nicky joining the festivities.

“In this scenario, it’s all about the child,” said Stacey. “It’s better for them that they’ve got these two families that absolutely love the bones off them than to be fighting over them. That would be horrible for them.”

Stacey & Joe airs at 8pm on BBC One on September 23.