Stacey Solomon has revealed the real reason why she never talks about her eldest sons’ dads since she rose to fame. The mum-of-five is currently documenting her blended family in her new BBC reality show with her husband Joe Swash, titled Stacey & Joe.

The former X Factor star, 35, and the ex-EastEnders actor, 43, are proud parents to a family of six children. The couple share Rex, five, Rose, three, and Belle, two, while Stacey is mum to sons Zachary, 17, and Leighton, 12, from two previous relationships. Meanwhile, Joe also has a son, Harry, 17, with his ex-partner.

The couple first met on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here in 2010, which Stacey won, while Joe was presenting the spin-off show Extra Camp after he became the King of the Jungle in 2008.

They announced they were officially dating back in 2016 and moved in together two years later before they made the decision to buy a house in 2021 – all while blending their families before tying the knot in July 2022.

Stacey, who loves to share her home life online, has previously revealed why she never talks about her eldest son’s fathers as the family start to share more of their personal lives with fans on their new TV show.

The six-part show, which started airing weekly on April 1, has given fans a deeper insight into their blended lives in their idyllic Essex home Pickle Cottage. The doting parents don’t shy away from the “highs and lows” of their relationship, sharing their flaws and strengths in the candid programme.

But fans have noticed that Stacey always has little to say about Zachary and Leighton’s fathers, apart from mentioning that the boys are “with their dad this weekend” or “this holiday”.

She was just 18 when she had her first child Zachary in 2007, with her boyfriend and childhood sweetheart, Dean Cox. The presenter then welcomed her second child Leighton in 2012 with her then-fiancé, painter Aaron Barham who she separated from in 2014.

The Essex-born star, who is now a Loose Women panellist and thrifty host of tidying show Sort Your Life Out, explained why when asked by You magazine a few years ago. She told the outlet: “I don’t speak much about their dads because I don’t think it’s right for [the children] to read it.”

Boasting more than six million followers on Instagram, she has also previously mentioned asking her older children before sharing anything about them online. Stacey has always said they should have a say in what information is out there about them in the public domain.

Her husband Joe appears to feel the same way, not speaking publicly about the mother of his eldest son Harry either, ex-fiancée Ema Sophocleous, who the boy lives with instead of at Pickle Cottage. He respects his ex-partner’s wish that photos of Harry are not shared on social media.