If I have my picture taken in a bikini on the beach, I don’t have the time to pose. Being real is the only thing I know how to be
open is it gives people the tools and knowledge to spot any worrying signs.
“I was only diagnosed with postnatal depression years after having Zachary. When I was about to have Leighton my midwives flagged me up for extra support because I was so nervous. This time around I knew what I was looking out for.
“A few months before I had Rex, my midwife flagged me up to mental health services in my area. Five days after having Rex I had a call from perinatal mental health services when I really, really needed it.
“It’s good to speak up so midwives can get in touch with those services early on so you’re on their system, so if you are struggling, they’re ready and waiting.”
Only once has Stacey regretted sharing her thoughts, and it was on the live set of Loose Women.
“I was asked if I’d talk about my fear of death and I said yes, without realising how scared of it I actually was,” she says. “I hated the whole thing – I cried my eyes out and it was the worst experience ever.” Stacey recently returned to work and feels the newborn haze is clearing. “I’m definitely out of the horrible foggy part when you think nothing is real and you’re a bit rubbish,” she says. “It’s the exhaustion now I’m struggling with. When we went away I got a few nights’ sleep and thought, ‘Oh my God, this feels good. I can actually walk for more than 10 minutes and my brain works better’. Since we got back things have
With her Loose Women co-stars gone the other way round. delirium.”
Stacey’s followers felt sure she and Joe – who has son Harry, 12, from a previous relationship – secretly got wed on their recent holiday, but she said she could never get wed without her Loose Women colleagues as bridesmaids. But they shouldn’t look out for an invitation any time soon.
“It’s not the biggest thing in our life at the moment,” she says. “We’ve got four kids between us, we’re so focused on making sure they’re happy and that everything’s not too complicated for them
It’s like because there’s a lot of dynamics in having a blended family. “So marriage is on the back burner. And I really struggle being the centre of attention – that’s why I love being on Loose Women because I’m one of four. It’s embarrassing when it’s all about you. That part of a wedding makes me cringe.” Stacey is also refreshingly honest about her relationship with EastEnders star Joe. She says: “He’s a great male role model for my boys. I’m very lucky. But every time he loads the dishwasher he sends me over the edge. It doesn’t matter how many times I say, ‘Scrape the food waste into the food waste bin first’, every time I open the dishwasher it stinks of food. I just lose it. No joke.” Recently the family posed in festive pyjamas for a Card
Factory Christmas campaign. She says: “We love those special gifts.
“When they mean something it gets treasured. I try not to get carried away with getting loads of stuff. Giving kids everything doesn’t make them very nice. If they can appreciate being with each other and having a laugh together, they’re going to have a better Christmas.”
Most mums find Christmas a highstress time without going on live TV. How on earth does Stacey cope?
“I don’t,” she admits. But she has this message for real mums everywhere: “We could all find something to feel bad about every day. So instead let’s say, ‘We’re all fed, watered and alive. That’s good enough.”
■ Create a personalised family photo Christmas card at participating Card Factory stores or at CardFactory.co.uk.
STACEY SOLOMON ON PRESSURES OF CHRISTMAS
We’re all fed, watered and alive. That’s good enough