Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash have long been a fixture in British entertainment. But just when fans thought they knew everything about the quirky couple, the pair are pulling back the curtain on their relationship in their new BBC reality series. The show promises a front-row seat into life at Pickle Cottage, their lovingly named £1.2 million Essex mansion.
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But before we get into their relationship, let's take a look at who they dated before they found happiness with each other.
A look into their past relationships
While the two are happily married now and have a peaceful blended family, they have had their fair share of failed romances.
Stacey Solomon
Stacey’s first known relationship was with Dean Cox, whom she met while studying performing arts at Havering College. They began dating as teenagers and Stacey became pregnant at 17. Their relationship didn’t last, and they split up shortly after Zachary was born.
Stacey later became engaged to painter Aaron Barnham. They started dating around 2009 and got engaged in 2011 after a romantic carriage ride in New York’s Central Park. They were together for about five years and had a son, Leighton, in 2012. However, they announced their split in 2014.
In 2015, Stacey dated Steve-O, the American stunt performer from Jackass. They met while filming The Jump. Their relationship lasted around six months, ending in September 2015 due to long-distance challenges.
Joe Swash
Joe Swash’s first public relationship was with Emma Sophocleous. They were together from 2005 to 2008 and got engaged before splitting up five months after the birth of their son, Harry. Their breakup led to a court battle over custody.
Joe then dated EastEnders co-star Kara Tointon. The two started dating in 2008 after meeting on set in 2005. They played siblings on the soap but began a romantic relationship after Joe left the show. Their relationship lasted about two years and ended in 2010.
By 2016, Stacey and Joe began their own relationship after reconnecting professionally.
How Stacey and Joe's love story began and blossomed
Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash first crossed paths in 2010 on the set of I’m A Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here!. Stacey had just been crowned Queen of the Jungle, following in the footsteps of Joe who won the show the previous year. Joe admitted he fancied Stacey from the start, but at the time, she was in another relationship.
Years later, rumours swirled about the two dating after they were spotted on a spa trip. They confirmed their romance in 2016, and soon after Stacey joined Joe in hosting the I’m A Celeb spin-off. By 2017, Stacey gushed to Hello!:
It's going really, really well. I'm so happy. Everyone says we're made for each other.
We are like the same person, we come from really similar backgrounds and we've got so much in common. He's absolutely lovely, I'm so lucky.
Their relationship deepened over time. In 2019, they welcomed their first child together, Rex. Then came their Essex home, Pickle Cottage. Joe proposed in a romantic woodland setting on Christmas Eve 2020. They tied the knot in 2022, and the family expanded with daughters Rose in 2021 and Belle in 2023.
But their love story hasn’t been without its challenges. Lockdown, in particular, put their relationship to the test. Joe opened up to The Sun:
At the beginning of lockdown, it was a slight learning process about how we are going to do this.
We had our moments, we had our ups and downs, but we found our groove and we work well as a team. We've got kids so we made it work. I think we're definitely stronger on the other side of it thankfully.
Opening the doors to Pickle Cottage: Reality show revelations
With their new show Stacey and Joe, the couple has taken honesty to a new level. Their BBC series captures everyday life. But perhaps the most unexpected twist? They aren’t cutting the arguments, reports Mirror.
In one scene, Joe returns five hours late from a fishing trip while Stacey juggles childcare and a work meeting about her new perfume launch. Stacey shared:
Sometimes I don’t think Joe realises the repercussions. It's all a laugh and a joke but that meeting was really important to me.
This comes as from the outset, both Stacey and Joe were clear that they wanted the series to be as authentic as possible. Speaking to the BBC, Stacey admitted when they realised that viewers will see everything they ‘panicked a bit’ but ultimately found a way around it as they’re a normal family ‘doing our best in every aspect of our lives.’ She added:
So in the end, you sort of relax with that, and you think, 'Oh well, so they saw us get the hump with each other, or they saw us do something wrong'.
That is probably the best thing we could show the world, because everything isn't perfect.
Joe added:
We don't want to glamorise anything.
Watching these moments back has also been eye-opening for the couple. Stacey shared, as per Mirror:
There’s 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.
Their candidness goes beyond conflict.
In an interview with Metro, they revealed their six children won't inherit their combined fortune of over £6.5 million. Stacey said:
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.
Adding:
We don’t have inherited wealth that we can pass down for generations.
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.
Their TV show will air on 1 April at 8PM on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Read more:
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Sources used:
OK! Magazine: Inside Stacey Solomon's wild love life - from Steve-O romance to broken engagement
OK! Magazine: Joe Swash's dating history after he reveals 'ups and downs' with Stacey Solomon in lockdown
Metro: Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash reveal their six children won’t inherit their £6,500,000 fortune
Mirror: Stacey Solomon's row with Joe Swash as she admits 'life is not what it seems'
BBC: 'We panicked when we realised viewers see everything' - Stacey Solomon on new show
