How Stacey Solomon became a mum icon with candid posts about leaky boobs, dry spells with Joe Swash and her ‘hairy body’

"Rather than painting an unrealistic picture of motherhood, which is often a stressful trigger for new mothers, she shares her ups and downs and, most importantly, how she enjoys her family despite the downs."

Rather than painting an unrealistic picture of motherhood, Stacey shares her ups and downs

Dr Sophie Niedermaier-Patramanipaediatrician

Here, after Stacey recently joked about needing an "electric trimmer" to get through her hairy "bush", we look at how she's become an inspiration for mums across the nation.

Like many parents, Stacey has a beautiful blended family.

The former X Factor star, who rose to fame (and won third place) in the TV singing contest in 2009, was just 17 when she became pregnant with her eldest son Zachary.

As well as Zachary, now 12, she also has Leighton, eight, from another previous relationship, and one-year-old Rex, whom she welcomed with partner Joe Swash last May.

'All over fuzz'

Though she adores her children, Stacey doesn't hold back when it comes to painting a very honest picture of parenting - including the impact it's had on her body and sex life.

While pregnant with Rex, she shared close-up shots of her hairy baby bump - which she described as an "all over fuzz" - and unshaven legs with her 3.7million Instagram followers.

At the time, the expectant mum joked: “For anyone who is offended you’re more than welcome to pop over and assist me in shaving [my legs] as I’m unable to reach below the knee.”

Blood-spattered birth picture

Fans gushed that the star was "showing what a REAL pregnancy is". And when Rex was born, Stacey received even more praise for sharing a blood-spattered hospital picture.

In the powerful image, the singer can be seen looking exhausted as she lies in bed, wearing blood-stained clothing and with her newborn son clutched to her chest.

Ahead of the birth, Stacey had told Sun Online that she wasn't concerned about her appearance during labour, saying: "I will be puking up and there will be placenta everywhere and I will have a baby coming out of my vagina, I don’t think I will care."

From stunning stretch marks to leaking boobs

Other inspiring Instagram pictures have shown Stacey cradling little Rex with leaking boobs, showing off her cellulite and stretch marks, and going on a rare date night with Joe - to Ikea.

And in one particularly moving snap, Stacey is pictured smiling as Joe kisses her post-birth stomach, as she admits she misses her bump and doesn't feel like she appreciated it enough during pregnancy.

"Joe and I didn’t have one picture of him with my bump," she told her fans.

"The thought of not having that memory has been really getting me down so today, Joe and my Dad helped me get a picture of what’s left of my bump to cheer me up. I love them so much."

And social media isn't the only platform that Stacey - author of Happily Imperfect: Living Life Your Own Way - has been using to get across her inspiring messages about motherhood.

In a column for Fabulous in 2018, she admitted she hadn't shaved her lady garden in 10 years because she favours the natural 'rainforest' look. "I find shaving in general an utter chore," she wrote.

Dry spells in the bedroom

The same year, she remarked that she liked her "little muffin top" and boobs, saying: "OK, they might be lower than the average 28 year old’s, but I think they’re all right. I just think: ‘Oh my god, I’ve produced and breastfed two children. How amazing is that?’”

More recently, on Loose Women, Stacey also revealed she and Joe sometimes had stretches where they went without sex, admitting they'd look at each other and go: "Sod that."

"We just think: 'It's not going to happen.' We're knackered," she said.

It was an admission many exhausted parents could likely relate to.

Guilt over multiple baby daddies

While Stacey has - with her usual no-nonsense honesty - previously admitted to feeling guilty about having kids with different dads, she says her boys are all loved immensely.

She told Closer Magazine last year: "I did feel guilty about having babies with different dads. I didn't want my kids to have a negative or confused upbringing.

"There's a stigma about having babies with different partners - I've definitely felt pressure from people - people I don't know, and even people I do know."

But she added: "My boys are incredibly loved - by me and their fathers, and by Joe, who is just another positive male role model in their lives."

Ex-EastEnders star Joe, 38, also has a 13-year-old son, Harry.

And in a sweet Instagram post earlier this year, Stacey remarked: "Brothers. No such thing as half in this house, and that includes ALL FOUR of our pickles.

"They may have different hair, different skin tones, different eye colours, and different parents but they have the SAME LOVE for each other and that’s all that matters.

"Forever blended and proud to be."

Stigma of teen motherhood

As a teenage mum, Stacey was initially filled with self-doubt. She has admitted she judged herself more harshly than the outside world when it came to bringing up eldest son Zachary alone.

"I always felt the stigma [more] of being a young mum and any of those doubts that me alone wasn't enough for my child came from within rather than from anybody else," she previously said on Loose Women.