Joe Swash is a right laugh. Whether he’s swigging maggot milkshake on I’m A Celebrity, wearing a silver onesie on Hole In The Wall or dressing up as James Bond on Dancing On Ice, he’s always making us smile.
But Joe, 41, also has a serious side. Inspired by his mum Kiffy Swash’s work as a foster parent, Joe has filmed a documentary called Joe Swash : Teens In Care for the BBC, which reveals the dismal state of the British care system.
“My mum Kiffy has been a foster carer for the last 15 years,” says Joe. “I’ve seen the difference that she’s made to these young people’s lives.”
Kiffy’s work has brought two cherished foster siblings into his life and changed his family – which includes his sisters, Shana and Caisie – for the better.
The first foster child to join the Swash family was a baby girl who was born addicted to drugs. Kiffy nurtured her until she was four, when bittersweet news came through – she was to be adopted and had been found a forever home.
Next came a seven-year-old boy called Daniel, who has been with Joe’s mum for 12 years and is now at university – an implausible prospect for a lot of children who grow up in foster care. The work Kiffy has done is invaluable, but Joe reveals it has been an emotional roller-coaster.
“It was amazing for the little one to be adopted, but for us it was devastating because we loved her,” says Joe. “She was like our little sister. Then Daniel joined our family when he was seven and he’s now 19 and at university.”
Daniel has grown up with the Swashes and Joe considers him a little brother. “He’s as much part of the family as I am,” says Joe firmly. “I know the impact that a positive family upbringing can give someone.”
Kiffy’s devotion to her foster kids has paid off and enriched everyone’s lives. Thanks to her, Joe has seen how brilliant our care system can be when it functions properly. Joe explains, “When Daniel got to us, he couldn’t do his shoe laces, he couldn’t eat properly with a knife and fork and communicate. We’ve seen him blossom. He’s funny, he’s witty, he’s clever – we’re so proud of him.”
Joe and his wife Stacey Solomon, 33, got married last summer at their home in Essex, after being in a relationship since 2016. Between them, they already had three sons – Joe is dadto Harry, 16, and Stacey has Zachary, 15, and Leighton, 11. A lot has changed since they first met, with the arrival of Rex, four, Rose, 21 months, and Belle, four months.
Six children is a lot, but they’re talking about adding to their family and fostering would be one way to do it.
“It’s something that Stacey and I have talked about and it’s something we’ll always consider,” says Joe. “When our kids get older and the last ones are at secondary school, maybe then we’ll try to foster ourselves.”
Joe says his heart goes out to children who have nobody – and Stacey feels the same. “Stacey has seen how important it is and how needed loads of really lovely foster carers are because there’s not enough out there. We’ve not said it’s set in stone and we’re definitely going to do it but it’s something that we’re both open-minded about. We love kids and we’ve seen exactly what my mum has done for Daniel. We could do the same. We’d love to. It’ll either be us having another one or maybe fostering. It’d be nice to foster just to give something back.”
Daniel’s story is encouraging but it’s not the norm. In Joe’s documentary he meets children who have suffered tragedy and awful abuse – only to be let down again by the system. Then on their 18th birthday, they’re abruptly expected to take care of themselves with barely any financial or emotional support.
“There’s so much potential with some of these kids that has not been tapped into,” says Joe. “Daniel is a prime example of when you give someone a home, stability and support. He’s going to do amazing things.”
Joe wants every child in need of care to have the same loving experience as Daniel and he is determined to shine a light on a broken system. We see him meet Conservative MP Claire Coutinho, Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, and the pair discuss the government’s failure to take up many of the recommendations from its own independent review of children’s social care, which urged it to reform the system through a £2.6 billion cash injection. Instead, just £200 million – less than 10% of the money requested – has been allocated.
Joe is frustrated, pointing out that since the report was commissioned, there have been 11 people in the posts of Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing and Secretary of State for Education, which is not conducive to reforming the system.
After meeting children who have survived abuse, Joe was upset by the government’s response. “The way politics runs, it’s a broken system,” says Joe. “They’re just kicking the can down the street and it’s our young society who are going to miss out.”
Filming was difficult for Joe, who talked to children who had been in terrible situations. He shed tears over the stories he heard and struggled to readjust to his own happy family life without intrusive thoughts.
And he knows what it’s like to lose a parent, after his dad Ricky died suddenly of an undiagnosed heart condition.
“I lost him when I was 11,” says Joe. “I now know the effect that had on me and how it shaped who I am today. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to have no parents looking after you. These kids just want to be loved.”
Joe’s family pulled him through the grief, but he knows that without support his story could have been different.
“There was a period when I felt really vulnerable, lonely and I didn’t know what was going on or what the future would be. That’s what these young people are struggling with. They have no one to look out for them, no support network or family.”
After long days filming, it was his wife Stacey who took on the role of counsellor.
“I did cry,” says Joe. “Stacey had to talk me through it a few times. She said, ‘You can’t keep doing this to yourself, you’ve got to cut yourself off and distance yourself, otherwise this will be really tough.’ It’s been very emotional, but such a worthwhile journey.”
Joe Swash: Teens In Care airs on Tuesday 11 July, 9pm, BBC One and BBC iPlayer
* Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
