Pregnant Stacey:
“I’ll give myself time to bond with my baby girl”
She initially revealed she was stepping back from Loose Women to go on maternity leave as she prepares to welcome her fourth child later this year. And sources say that the singer-turned-TV-star, Stacey Solomon – who is due to welcome her second child with fiancé Joe Swash at the end of September – wants to reduce her commitments to prioritise her mental health.
Stacey, 31, revealed last week she won’t return to Loose Women until 2022, saying, “I feel like this will probably be the last time [Joe and I] do it, so I want to enjoy it. Well, not every moment – I know I’ll be ringing Nadia [Sawalha] in tears at some point.
“I’ve decided to stop slightly earlier this time than with Rex, because the last time I had my last show, I gave birth the next day, and I must say I wasn’t ready at all.”
GUILT
The mum of three has previously been open about her struggles, revealing in 2019 that she’d had postnatal depression when she had her first child, Zachary, 13, with ex Dean Cox. At the time, she said, “I have moments with Zachy where I think ‘Oh, I wished loved you from the very minute.’ Not that I didn’t, I’m sure I did, I just didn’t feel it and I didn’t get it. It brings me tremendous guilt.”
Stacey is also mum to Leighton, eight, with ex-fiancé Aaron Barnham, and Rex, two, with her current beau, Joe.
The source says, “Stacey’s decided to take an extended break after she gives birth to ensure she gives herself a proper amount of time to bond with her new daughter.
“Given her history of postnatal depression, Stacey says she wants to prioritise her mental health and is very conscious about taking all the preventative steps she can in a bid to lessen her chances of suffering again.
“One of those is making the decision to take a step back from work to limit the amount of stress and pressure on her as much as possible.”
Stacey rose to fame on The X Factor back in 2009 when she was just 19 years old, before going on to take part in – and win – I’m A Celeb! in 2010. She then launched her TV career and joined Loose Women as a panellist in 2016.
Earlier this year, she landed her own TV show, Sort Your Life Out – a new series centred around decluttering homes – which was a hit with viewers.
Stacey’s bubbly and endearing personality has won her a legion of fans over the years, and she now has 4.6 million followers on Instagram. However, she’s had to take regular time off social media in recent months to take care of her mental health. She recently wrote, “I feel soooo ROUGH, so I’ll be off of stories until I get rid of this rough feeling.”
The source adds, “Rushing back to work too soon has been linked to postnatal depression so, despite having lots of offers and opportunities in the coming months, she’s decided to put her mental health first and make that her number-one priority, which of course Joe and her loved ones are extremely supportive of.
LOYAL
“She’s also decided to take a step back from social media without constantly apologising to fans, as this is something that can often make her very anxious. She knows how loyal her fanbase is and how understanding they are, so she is confident that she will be able to take some down time once her daughter arrives, knowing everyone will be there to support her when she returns.”
● If you or someone you know is suffering from postnatal depression, visit mind.org.uk or nhs.uk for help and advice
‘She wants to prioritise her mental
health’