We reveal how Stacey struggles to feel financially comfortable despite being set for life, as the star is said to have ‘saved’ Joe from woes
WITH a beautiful family, millions in the bank, a flow of telly work and a stunning mansion, Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash appear to have it all.
But dig a little deeper and the lifestyle of TV’s golden couple is perhaps not quite as it seems.
Yesterday, The Sun told how their 2022 marriage was never made legal.
Now, we can reveal vast cash disparities between the pair amid Stacey’s savvy decision to keep their finances separate.
The couple, who have six kids between them, may have a combined wealth of £12million, but Stacey, 36, can take credit for the lion’s share of that.
Their sprawling, £1.2million Tudor-style pad Pickle Cottage, in Essex — which is set in 2.5 acres and boasts an outdoor swimming pool — is owned solely in her name.
And her growing empire was worth £10million in 2025 — up from £7.4million the year before.
Joe’s contributions, meanwhile, are much smaller — in the region of £2million.
Stacey is now a far cry from the girl who, aged 19, made a bid for fame on The X Factor while a single mother at college working part-time in a fish-and-chips shop.
Her career took off straight away and winning I’m A Celebrity in 2010 only cemented her fame.
It was there that she first met Joe, the cheeky TV presenter who won the 2008 series and was hosting spin-off show I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here! NOW! at the time. They didn’t start dating until 2016.
By then Joe — who made his name playing Mickey Miller in EastEnders — had twice been declared bankrupt over unpaid tax bills, first in 2009 and again in 2013.
The new couple went full- steam ahead with their relationship and had two children together — Rex and Rose — before finally getting “hitched”.
They shared the planning for their big day on their Kardashian-style BBC One series, Stacey & Joe, which is currently on pause.
A flashy wedding in the garden of the pair’s Instagram-famous home followed but they never “got round” to formally registering the union.
We are told that Stacey, who went on to have a daughter, Belle, with Joe, made the decision early on to keep their finances separate to ensure sure he paid his way.
Money is said to be a source of contention for the pair, and Stacey struggles to feel comfortable despite being set for life. It is claimed she “saved” Joe from more financial woes.
Our source said: “Stacey is shrewd when it comes to cash, and she makes sure she is in control of their finances. She earns a hell of a lot more than Joe but still insists everything is split 50/50.
“It’s a way of protecting herself if the worst was to happen, and a way of making sure Joe is contributing.”
Stacey is shrewd when it comes to cash, and she makes sure she’s in control of their finances. She earns a hell of a lot more than him
Source
Despite her huge earnings, Stacey kicked off 2026 by walking away from the leading talent agency that represented her, YMU.
It looks after other big showbiz names including Ant and Dec and Graham Norton. The dramatic move, which has raised questions in the industry, means Stacey has also pulled the plug on her commercial partnerships this year.
Some of her biggest deals have been with Asda, Jet2, fashion brand In The Style and Primark, which have really boosted her earnings.
But Stacey need not worry about having an income — in 2023, she invested some of her own cash into small haircare brand Rehab and now owns a third of the firm, which was hailed one of the fastest-growing beauty brands of 2025.
Stacey also runs Keymap Entertainment, which banks cash from her media and advertising deals.
Telly-wise, the bubbly host is thriving. She has her own popular decluttering BBC show Sort Your Life Out, has been a Loose Women panellist, and recently stood in for Simon Cowell as a guest judge on Britain’s Got Talent.
A couple of years ago, she set up beauty company Belle & Rose, named after her daughters, to sell her products in “specialised stores”.
Meanwhile, Joe’s career has not enjoyed the same trajectory.
Bad with money
He has done stints on reality TV, including as a contestant on Celebrity MasterChef and Dancing On Ice. But other than a couple of guest appearances in Albert Square, he has not landed another acting role after being axed from EastEnders in 2008.
In 2017, he admitted he had been bad with his money, saying: “I was chucking it away on stuff I didn’t need. When you are young, you just don’t think it is ever going to end. I thought I was going to be on EastEnders for years and years.”
Last year, Joe spoke about being addicted to online shopping, joking on the My Mate Bought A Toaster podcast: “I’m going to be in real big trouble by Stacey because I’ve just wasted more money on some other pointless product.”
Stacey, on the other hand, is careful with her cash, fearing she could one day lose it all.
She admitted on her own reality show: “I always have, in the back of my mind: tomorrow you could have nothing, so be careful today.”
Last month Joe resorted to peddling items including hair-growth shampoo, mouthwash and kitchen gadgets through a TikTok shop, in a bid to raise money.
Rather than being paid by the company to promote the goods, like a lot of influencers, Joe hopes to make money by taking commissions if any of his 125,000 followers buy the items.
Stacey is not helping, though. In one recent video, she could be heard in the background calling one item “a load of c**p” and repeatedly mocking Joe’s efforts.
Joe is a grafter. He knows people questioned how much he does after watching their documentary, and is determined to prove he’s not useless
Source
He is now with talent agency Off Limits, which has worked with reality stars including Love Islanders Chris Hughes and Lucinda Strafford.
An industry insider tells us: “Joe has become known for his reality TV work in recent years, so it makes sense for him to be with Off Limits.
“Stacey is very unlikely to be joining him — her career is taking a very different path and reality TV just isn’t her thing any more. It’s quite amazing to see them at such different stages of their career.”
But Joe has his sights set on bigger projects and is planning to build a two-acre fishing lake, complete with glamping pods, at Pickle Cottage.
It is his biggest solo venture to date — and perhaps his most risky move — to help secure his own financial future, without relying on Stacey.
‘Brave face’
Tensions between the pair are already high — as was clear to see on their BBC fly-on-the-wall series. They even let cameras in while they had relationship counselling.
Their stark work contrast has fuelled whispers about their marriage — Stacey has been spotted without her wedding ring on several occasions recently.
And she was left blindsided during an interview on This Morning last month when host Ben Shephard pressed her on why she was not wearing the ring. She joked she “probably took it off to go to the toilet”.
Concern for the couple is only likely to grow after the revelation their marriage is not legally binding.
But sources close to them insisted: “Joe is a grafter. He knows people questioned how much he does, after watching their documentary, and is determined to prove he’s not useless.
“He puts a brave face on things, but it has to be tough when your wife is so successful, and everything she touches turns to gold.
“They have got through some very tough times in the past. Whatever this next chapter holds for them, they will take it in their stride.”
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/38713695/stacey-solomon-joe-swash-earnings-tensions-marriage/
