They've gone from strength to strength after building a family together – but could things have been very different for Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon ? The pair first met all the way back in 2010 after Stacey was crowned Queen of the Jungle on ITV's I'm A Celebrity...
Get Me Out Of Here! Joe was presenting the reality show's spin-off programme and couldn't believe his luck after 'love at first sight'. But not everything went to plan, and their fairytale love story might not have happened after one key detail about Stacey after she left the Australian jungle. Speaking in an interview a few years ago, Joe admitted the family look back at the footage, warmly remembering their first meeting – but not forgetting one key memory.
"I remember meeting her and I distinctly remember the smell," he told Metro.co.uk in 2021.
Appearing to joke about the less-than-romantic ordeal, Joe said that Stacey "smelled worse than any other camp mate that came out of the jungle". Calling over Stacey during the interview, he said: "Do you remember when you came out of the jungle and I said hello to you? Did you know that she smelled worse than any other camp mate that came out of the jungle? "Oh my God. Honestly! I remember meeting her and I distinctly remember the smell," Joe said.
He'd won I'm A Celebrity in 2008 and was passing over the baton to Stacey, giving her a congratulatory hug – something he says he'll never forget. He still laughs about the smell though, explaining the family find it all "so cute" and that their kids often watch back the moment on TV. "It was nice for them to see that, we’ve got a long history, we go back so far," he said.
"Me and Stacey, we love I’m A Celebrity, we’ve got a great affinity with the show. We both went on it, we both won it. We both worked on it.
We both met each other on it! And when we look at our kids, it’s all because of the jungle, really." It comes after Joe and Stacey were recently spotted appearing to engage in a heated argument, leaving the Loose Women star in tears after the EastEnders actor stormed off. Pictures showed a camera crew comforting the singer while Joe puffed on a vape.
She's now jetted off on holiday in the U.S. and left her husband at home.
Posing in pictures Las Vegas, Nevada, Stacey's shared some moments from her holiday on Instagram . In the caption she penned: "Feeling Free..
. I can’t describe what I’ve felt spending time away with my girls. I didn’t know how much I needed this.
I am such a home girl but time away isn’t as scary as I thought. In fact it’s fed my soul." She continued: "I stole someone’s cowboy had and rode through the canyon with the women I honestly couldn’t be who am I without.
The thing about these women is they literally lift me up, have my back, keep me going, make me feel so supported & I just couldn’t do life without them. "I love you girls to the moon and back. I’m so lucky to have you in my life.
.. This is your sign to say f**k it and get out of your comfort zone whenever you get the chance.
You won’t regret it," her post concluded..
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Joe Swash's 'turn off' from Stacey Solomon after they first met on ITV's I'm A Celebrity
Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash have enjoyed a whirlwind romance after first meeting all the way back in 2010 on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!