Mrs Hinch's global success - who is she and why has Stacy Solomon become her best friend?

A mere four years ago, Sophie Hinchliffe was at home scrubbing at her sink and making it shine. She posted it on her social media and it became a viral hit.

It's now nearing the end of 2022 and Sophie, or Mrs Hinch as she is known to millions of her followers on Instagram, has written three best-selling books on the subject of cleaning and made numerous appearances on daytime TV.

It's a phenomenal rise for the former part-time hairdresser from Essex who has battled anxiety for many years. The success has been bitter-sweet for her and her friendship with reality singing star turned presenter Stacey Solomon has been a source of comfort for both of them.

Stacey reached out to Sophie after watching one of her latest cleaning videos. She asked if she was OK, as she remembered how chaotic her life became after fame arrived. Stacey drove to Sophie's house with a McDonald's meal and they became firm friends.

Sophie explained: "She's been amazing. We have our little FaceTime chats of a night and we'll sort of help each other.

"We're not Mrs Hinch or Stacey Solomon on the phone to one another, we're Soph and we're Stace and it's really nice to have that."

She added: "Obviously with our babies as well, with Rex and Ron, we've built this friendship up that we have. Away from the public eye."

The pair went public with their friendship back in September 2019, sharing a picture of them both sat on the sofa with their babies.

At the time, Mrs Hinch captioned the image with: "One day I received a message from this amazing woman, simply asking me if I’m ok. It’s like she just knew I wasn’t. Even though I hadn’t made this apparent to anyone. I found myself pouring my heart out to her by message asking how she handles the public eye with a newborn.

"And what she said to me was 'right I’m coming round for a cuppa!' A cuppa?! I couldn’t believe it! Stacey Solomon in my house? I've followed Stacey since her X factor days so to me I was having a celeb round and I felt nervous!

"But Stacey, like me, is just a normal person and a mum simply trying to do her best in life. She turned up at my house with her beautiful baby Rex in one arm & McDonald’s in the other for us both! And I just felt myself wanting to cry. A mix of emotions I can’t even explain. We sat down, we ate junk food , fed our babies & talked .. talked for hours and I can honestly say I feel like a huge weight has been lifted and I’m ready to face this public eye!"

Mrs Hinch, Sophie, has gained enormous support from her fans - who are referred to as Hinchers. They often message her and approach her on the street to say they have gained a lot from her cleaning tips and sharing her own struggles.

The so-called #HinchArmy turn to her for tips such as cleaning blinds with tumble dryer sheets and dousing sinks with her favoured floral-scented Zoflora disinfectant.

Mrs Hinch, who refers to her Vileda spray mop as Vera, recommends karate chopping cushions to achieve the right amount of plumpness and belting out power ballads to keep up spirits while polishing surfaces.

She's a woman of the people, and claims she would rather be leading a simple life than the trappings of wealth. She's made a few appearances on ITV's This Morning, as well as Loose Women.

And now Sophie has teamed up with her fellow Essex pal to film in Wales for the last episode in the upcoming series of Stacey's BBC show Sort Your Life Out. The series will be shown in 2023.