Stacey Solomon 'regrets' reality TV show with husband Joe Swash amid viewer backlash and on-air tension

The 35-year-old TV presenter and her husband, 42, recently launched Stacey & Joe, a fly-on-the-wall series that opens the doors of their Essex home, Pickle Cottage, for a candid look at their family life. The series follows the couple juggling work and raising their children - Rex, five, Rose, three, and Belle, two — along with Stacey's sons from previous relationships, Zachary, 17, and Leighton, 12.

The couple had aimed to offer a raw, unfiltered portrayal of their domestic life, with Joe previously saying: "So many people represent their lives as being so perfect on Instagram. It's our responsibility to show the real – the highs and the lows. It's not all a bed of roses. Sometimes we argue."

Stacey echoed that sentiment in an interview with OK! magazine: "What you see is what you get. What we've learnt about each other is that we're not a perfect couple. We've never said we're a perfect couple, but you get to watch yourself back, which is something that doesn't happen often."

However, according to a report in The Sun, the response to the series has left Solomon privately regretting the decision to take part. “Stacey is regretting signing up to do the show,” a source told the outlet. "She’s not used to the backlash they are getting as everything she touches normally turns to gold.”

One point of tension has reportedly been how arguments between the couple are coming across to audiences. A friend of Stacey's told The Sun: "She feels like she is coming across as bossy. He can’t manage anything without her, so she is forced to be the ‘grown-up’. It’s caused friction."

An episode that aired earlier this week showed Stacey breaking down after Joe missed an important meeting to go fishing with friends, arriving five hours late, despite her pleading with him not to let her down. At the same time, she was caring for their young children and preparing to launch her own perfume line.

The couple's real-life struggles took centre stage in a recent episode, when they attended a therapy session at the Henry Centre in Westcliff, Essex. Joe opened up about how his ADHD affects their dynamic, admitting: "All that I'm hearing is that I'm this huge problem in Stacey's perfect life. That's all I'm hearing. I don't hear no positive stuff about me as a person."

Stacey responded, "You're hearing something that's not being said. I have caveated almost everything I've said with a positive, Joe. It's about us working together to manage this situation. That's what I'm here for. I'm not here to change you. I'm here to support who we are."

Stacey & Joe: This Is Us is a six-part series which kicked off on Tuesday, April 1 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.