Much-loved TV personality Joe Swash shares what's new in his life, including his wedding plans!
Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon are a TV power couple and seem to be everywhere right now. Warm, friendly and always making the day brighter when they are on screen, they too have had their fair share of wedding heartache this year. Along with the rest of the country, their wedding too was affected after lockdowns one, two and three! Here, Joe talks about their big-day plans, his oh-so exciting news that he and Stacey are welcoming a baby girl to their brood of boys and his new snack campaign with Peperami...
Joe on his wedding... We were disappointed that we had to postpone the wedding, but we both knew we wouldn't have got the wedding we wanted because of Covid restrictions. We didn't want to rush it and, in the end, there was no point in stressing. We both thought let's just put it back a year and plan it the way we want it. There are so many people that are important to us, we didn't want to leave anyone out.
The silver lining is that our little girl can now be there, which is lovely. The wedding is going to be in the garden as well so everyone can be there including the animals/pets. We're just having close friends and family attend, it's our wedding, we don't want it to be too much of a spectacle, want it to be intimate and something to remember.
There are no dos and don'ts for the stag from Stacey, I'm going to go away for a couple of days with my pals, try to do something in England with the kids as well as I don't want them to miss out.
I get involved in the wedding planning where I need to get involved, but I don't get involved to the point where I'm being annoying. Stacey has the vision, and I'm here to back her up and try and get her what she wants. Stacey is the organiser. I'm have some surprises in store for Stacey on the day, but I'm keeping them secret, so it is a surprise for her!
Joe on his baby news... We're chuffed to bits! I don't know what the future holds in terms of having more kids – but we're over the moon to have a girl, as we only have boys. This is brand new for both of us!
I watch Stacey getting the nursery together, painting it pink and adding the final touches – it brings a smile to my face. I can see how excited she is – we both are. But equally, if we had a little boy, I would have my five aside team sorted – there was always going to be a winner! We're still going through names - we're struggling. I like certain names, some names she likes, then other people don't like certain names, so that's still a work in progress.
The boys can't wait to have a little sister, especially baby Rex! He keeps going up to Stacey's tummy and kissing it, stroking it and saying the baby's in there so he knows what's happening and starting to get very excited.I feel like I know how to parent boys. My eldest is now 15 years old, he towers over me! He's turning into a beautiful young man. My brother-in-law has two little girls and has said it's different, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. I grew up in a household with lots of women, so hopefully I'll know the ins and outs.
Joe on date nights... We're busy, but when we do make time to go out, it's a matter of getting nanny round and having an early dinner. We try to make sure we have time together as a couple, but also time for ourselves. Stacey will arrange for me to go fishing with my pals, I'll arrange for her to go to the spa – we like to treat each other. It's good for us to take a moment to recharge our batteries.
If we're staying in, it's a night on the sofa with some snacks watching a film. However, the kids rule the remote in our household! Stacey is good though at bringing the family together to watch a film. The other day I came in and Stacey and the boys were watching Legally Blonde – I joined them!
Joe on lockdown... The first lockdown was easy – the spring was only a stones throw away and we had nice weather. We were lucky living near nice parks and forests. The second was a lot harder, the winter weather wasn't good, we struggled with the home-schooling. But we loved being at home with the kids – we'll never get that again.
We also bought and moved into our house! Being in lockdown benefited the process, our focus was on the move. We love the new house – we're so lucky to be here, the kids love it, the dogs love it, we're over the moon! We honestly can't believe our luck.
Joe on his new 'Ban the Bland' campaign with Peperami... As a nation, we've got a bit of a reputation for our food being bland and boring. So, when Peperami asked me to get involved in the campaign, my competitive nature came out and I jumped at the chance to take part, eager to show people how we can do it better.
As part of the experiment, the crew had me try some of the nation's food fails – which I was dreading! I wanted to see if some of the strange combinations could be wonderful, but on the day, they were just plain awful. Disastrous dishes included peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches and cold kippers – anything fishy turns my stomach!
People think that because I have been in the jungle and have eaten a kangaroo testicle, these types of challenges are a breeze for me – but that isn't the case at all! My favourite part of the day was creating my snack solution – 'British Tapas' – a local take on the famous finger food favoured by those in Spain. As a family, we love nothing more than exploring the great outdoors.
With the summer holidays in full swing, Peperami gave me the power to create something really cool that could be enjoyed either at home in the garden or during a picnic in the park.
Joe Swash has been challenged by Peperami to take on the nation's food fails and trial Britain's saddest snacks. To watch the full episode, visit @PeperamiTV on Instagram.
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