Stacey Solomon has revealed that she and husband Joe Swash were left in tears 'every day' for three weeks after purchasing their Essex home, Pickle Cottage, in 2021. The couple bought the property for a reported £1.3 million and have since documented its transformation on social media.
Speaking on the podcast Sort Your Life Out: Unpacked with co-star Dilly Carter, Solomon said: 'I remember when me and Joe bought Pickle Cottage and, this is going to sound really stupid, but for like three weeks every day, we would walk out of it and just cry because we did not expect to ever grow up and be able to live in a house like that.'
The 36-year-old TV presenter reflected on her and Swash's upbringings, noting that such a home was beyond their dreams. 'He's from Islington and I'm from Dagenham... Pickle Cottage wasn't a dream for us growing up, because I didn't even know houses like that existed,' she said.
Since buying the house, the couple have undertaken extensive renovations, including adding a swimming pool and a duck pond, which Solomon described in 2024 as 'the hardest pickle cottage project so far'. They share the home with their three young children, Rex, Rose, and Belle, as well as Solomon's elder sons Zachary and Leighton. Swash also has an 18-year-old son from a previous relationship.
The couple married at Pickle Cottage in 2022, six years after getting together, following Swash's Christmas Eve proposal in 2020. Solomon also spoke about the realities of their relationship, saying: 'Sometimes I fancy the pants off him and can't wait to come home to see him. Sometimes I'm like, "Get out of my stratosphere – stay away from me". I think we're just like any other couple.'
