Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon are proud parents to six children – but social media followers were less than impressed when Joe shared the contents of a packed lunch he put together
Joe Swash has been fiercely defended by his wife, Stacey Solomon, after online trolls targeted him over a packed lunch he prepared for one of their kids.
The 42-year-old former EastEnders actor is married to 34-year-old Loose Women star Stacey Solomon – with whom he shares four-year-old son Rex, two-year-old daughter Rose, and youngest daughter Belle, who was born in February 2023. His is also proud dad to 16-year-old son, Harry, from a previous relationship with ex-fiancée Emma Sophocleous – and he also cares for Stacey’s two eldest sons, 15-year-old Zachary and 11-year-old Leighton who she shares with former partners.
But when Joe took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a snap of the lunchbox he had prepared for his daughter, Rosie, he came under fire from a number of self-appointed food experts. The image was innocent enough, showing the interior of a bright pink lunch box which had multiple compartments inside ti housing various foods.
One section had tubes of yogurt inside, and another had some blocks of cheese. A further compartment had cucumber and carrots sticks – while the final section had grapes, ham and a biscuit housed together. He shared the image along with a simple caption stating: “Rosie’s packed lunch for today?”
But the image provoked a furious response from followers – with many slamming the celebrity dad for lumping certain foods together. One outraged follower commented: “Nooo, the biscuit can’t be next to the ham.” Another wrote: “What are you doing putting the biscuit on top of cut grapes next to the ham and a soggy biscuit?” A third said: “Chop up the ham and put in the space next to the cheese, ya nutter.”
Joe was fortunately defended by Stacey who took to his comments section to state: “Omfg the lunch box police are out in full force today.” Joe and Stacey have hinted that they may expand their family even further after welcoming baby Belle last year.
Back in January, Stacey fielded questions from fans – in which she was asked if she would have a sixth baby. She replied stating: “I can honestly say, my favourite thing in the world is being a mum. I just get so much joy from watching our little ones grow & getting to be a part of their world. I would love more. Whatever will be will be. But omg I love them (Joe will be off to get a vasectomy when he sees this).”
While in August last year, Joe reflected on how exhausting being a dad to six kids is. He told PA: ““I think your body just adapts to your situation. So after you’ve had three kids – four, five or six makes no difference. Me and Stacey have been tired for so long now that it’s become the norm.”
He went on to praise the eldest children for helping out with their younger siblings, stating: “Our older kids are a godsend, they really help out. They’re always helping with dinner, they help feed the kids, they’re amazing. We’re really proud of our kids, how they all muck in and help – and we don’t ask them either, it’s all done out of love. It’s lovely to see.”
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