Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash reveal difficult conversations with sons about porn

Stacey Solomon wants her kids to feel safe talking to her about ‘anything’ (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock) There are few things more embarrassing for a teenager than their mum bringing up porn – except, perhaps, their mum bringing it up in the car with the cameras rolling for their new TV show. But Stacey Solomon, 37, is prepared to risk awkward moments if it means her eldest boys, Zachary, 18, and Leighton, 14, know they can talk to her about anything. Having watched Adulthood and Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, she knows how influential the manosphere can be. In the opening episode of the upcoming series of their BBC reality show, Stacey & Joe, the mum-of-five tackles porn with the boys, much to their embarrassment. And when Metro meets Stacey and husband Joe Swash, 44, she makes it clear no topic is off limits. ‘I try to talk to them about anything,’ the TV star says. ‘I just want them to know the conversation for everything is always on the table. Metro sat down with Stacey and husband Joe Swash for a candid chat (Picture: BBC/Optomen Television/Jude Edginton/Press Association) ‘They never have to hold back if they want to say something – not that they were happy about me talking about porn with them. They never are.’ Joe, who also has 19-year-old son Harry from a previous relationship, agrees: ‘With the internet now, it’s opened up a whole new case where your kids are getting influenced by other areas that are not healthy, and that you might not have a lot of control over and you might not know they’re watching. It is dangerous.’ With three younger children together – Rex, seven, Rose, five, and Belle, three – they juggle very different parenting stages. ‘You have windows of, “Oh my God, this family just works so well. The teenagers and the youngsters, this is so good.” Then you have moments when they’re killing each other,’ Joe says. ‘‘With the internet now, it’s opened up a whole new case where your kids are getting influenced by other areas that are not healthy.’ (Picture: BBC/Optomen Television/Jude Edginton/Press Association) For Stacey, teenagers are the toughest. ‘Every stage, you think it’s the hardest stage,’ she says. ‘You have a newborn baby, and you’re like, “This is the hardest phase. I’m up in the night and breastfeeding.” ‘It’s only when you get teenagers that you’re like, “Damn, this is the hardest part.” All of that has been preparing me for the teenage years. It’s another level. I think it’s another level of fear and responsibility. ‘They’re also becoming their own person. You have to tread really carefully. ‘For most of your parenting life, you can really guide your children, put things in place, give rules and give structure. But as they get to that age, you have to step back. I think it’s the stepping back that’s the hardest part. ‘ Teenagers are cut-throat. They’re brutal.’ (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock) ‘And teenagers are cut-throat. They’re brutal.’ She adds: ‘I think they’re going through a lot. There’s a lot to deal with. This generation also has a whirlwind of technology to deal with, which is out of control and way beyond my understanding of technology as well. ‘I find that really difficult to navigate. There’s so much you’re trying to prepare them for, but can you? Because you don’t know what’s to come.’ Asked about the manosphere, Stacey admits she worries about influences beyond home. ‘I think while they’re under our roof, we’re okay,’ she says. ‘But you can’t guarantee anything. Your kids are going to become their own people, and they’re going to meet new groups of people. ‘They’re going to be in situations where you’re not there to guide them or be there. It does worry me, that kind of language and that narrative.’ Stacey worries about influences beyond home. (Picture: BBC/Optomen Television/Jude Edginton) She adds: ‘I don’t think, as a parent, you are solely responsible for how your kids turn out. I say that with all my heart. ‘You could be the 2.4 family with the best people around you and have the most privilege, and you can still come out the other side and have real issues.’ Stacey’s also conscious of pressures on boys’ appearance, just as much as her girls. ‘Now, I think they care about how they look as much as each other, whereas when I was growing up, the boys couldn’t have cared less,’ she says. ‘They didn’t even look in a mirror. I think they didn’t have the same pressures of standards. Stacey’s conscious of pressures on boys’ appearance (Picture: BBC/Optomen Television/Jude Edginton/Press Association) ‘Now I think there’s a pressure for men and young teenagers to look a certain way, to have a certain physique.’ For Stacey, those worries make honest conversations at home all the more important now – and keeping conversations open means staying calm when the boys confide in her, even when she finds that really tough to do. She continues: ‘What’s really nice is when there has been an issue, and they’ve actually told me about it, and I’m like, “Thank God for that.” Stacey believes honest conversations at home are all the more important now (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock) Even if it’s really bad, or you’re like, “Why did they do it?”, you just react really calmly. You’re like, “Okay, no worries,” because you want them to know they can come to you any time. ‘That’s the hardest thing though, because I’m like, “Thank God they told me.” But also like, “S**t, what are we going to do about this?”’ For Joe, it’s not that unusual, as talking openly about porn is something his own mum did with him. He says: ‘I remember once, in one conversation, she said, “Don’t think the porn you’re watching is reality”. ‘Mum always said there’s a distinction between how you treat a woman and how it is in porn. She’s right, isn’t she?’ Stacey and Joe say making TV with their family ‘doesn’t feel like a job’ (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The NTAs) ‘Kiffy is probably the most open mum I’ve ever known,’ Stacey adds. ‘Joe’s mum is amazing. She’s so forward-thinking.’ Despite their embarrassment, it was Zach and Leighton who pushed to get the family on television – and they were consulted on whether the scene with them being asked about porn would be used. ‘The older boys love it. It was their idea,’ Stacey says. ‘Zach and Leighton really wanted to do a reality show. ‘We said no for years and years. For probably two years, they kept saying, “Come on, just do it, please. That would be so funny.” I was like, “Okay, then.”’ Now, the family enjoy spending more time together – and having home videos ready to watch. ‘It doesn’t feel like a job, and it feels like you get time at home,’ Stacey finishes. ‘What’s really nice is we sit and watch the show. We watch all the old clips with the kids, and they find them hilarious. They’re like home movies now.’ Deals of the Day QVC shoppers can save £159 on Elemis' biggest beauty gift set of the year This Hoover vacuum is a game-changer for pet owners and muddy homes The wellbeing brand behind everyone's favourite candles has launched its biggest sale yet See London's Christmas lights from an open-top double-decker bus this winter My skin always suffers when the heating goes on but this serum changed that Stacey & Joe airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 10th November 2026. Arrow MORE: James Acaster finally addresses claims two Celebrity Traitors stars ‘bullied’ him Arrow MORE: Brits warned to stockpile after ‘cyberattack’ sees UK ‘freezers switched to defrost mode’ Arrow MORE: Richard Osman launches into foul-mouthed rant following Celebrity Traitors backlash TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.