Joe Swash has admitted he struggles with being called a stepfather to his wife Stacey Solomon's children, despite treating them as his own. The 41-year-old former EastEnders star spoke on The Netmums podcast about the challenges of their blended family, which includes six children between them.
Swash, who met Solomon on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2016 and married her in July 2022, said: 'I hate being called stepdad. It don't feel right with me, it doesn't sit right with me.' He emphasised that he looks after Stacey's boys 'no differently' to his own biological children, referring to them all as 'our kids'.
The couple share three children together: Rex, three, Rose, one, and newborn Belle. Swash also has a 16-year-old son, Harry, from a previous relationship, while Solomon has Zachary, 15, and Leighton, 11, from earlier relationships. Swash admitted that despite their happy family dynamic, 'everything has challenges, we still have challenges'.
He added that he never makes a distinction between the children, saying: 'As long as the house is full of love and we all love each other the same.' The only potential issue he foresees is dealing with 'stroppy' teenagers as they grow older.
