Since Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash took viewers behind the curtain of their family life at Pickle Cottage for a BBC programme, viewers have remarked upon a notable absence.
Their Kardashian-style reality show, called Stacey & Joe, follows the famous couple, their youngest children, Rex, Rose and Belle, Stacey’s first son with ex-boyfriend Dean Cox, Zach, and her son Leighton with ex-fiancé Aaron Barnham.
It aims to show how Stacey, 35, and Joe, 43, balance family life at their £1,200,000 mansion in Essex with their work schedules and passion projects, such as building a two-acre fishing lake.
In the first episode, Stacey’s dad, Dave, and her grandmother, Gwen, made appearances, which left viewers wondering why her mother, Fiona, was nowhere to be seen.
However, the real reason behind her absence has now been revealed.
According to the MailOnline, Fiona prefers privacy and, as a result, stays away from the public eye.
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In 2023, Stacey hinted at her mother’s shyness when she posted a Mother’s Day tribute, honouring Fiona and her mother-in-law Kiffy.
But she only posted a picture of herself and Kiffy, explaining her mother doesn’t like being in front of the camera.
Fiona did, though, once make a rare TV appearance in 2017 on Loose Women.
On the ITV show, Fiona opened up about Stacey’s ‘difficult’ teenage years.
She said: ‘I got to a stage where I thought, “What have I done, I must have been a terrible mother.” It wasn’t just Stacey, I have another daughter.
‘Both my girls went through teenage years, it really was… tearaways. Stacey was the one who always got into trouble and always got caught. She bunked off school and got detention.’
Fiona added: ‘In the end, we took her out of school and she went to stay with her nan. She knew exactly what to do to put her in line.’
Last month, Stacey and Joe gave an insight into their own parenting style, revealing that their children won’t inherit their reported £6.5 million fortune.
‘We don’t have inherited wealth that we can pass down for generations,’ Stacey told The Mirror.
‘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.’
She added: ‘They’re going to have their own lives and they need to have their own dreams, careers and that doesn’t come from us giving them everything. It’s a constant battle.’
Stacey and former EastEnders actor Joe have been together since 2016 after they met while appearing on the 10th series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2010.
They have been married since 2022.
Stacey & Joe airs tonight on BBC One and iPlayer at 8pm.
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