Former EastEnders star Joe Swash has said that he and wife Stacey Solomon have spoken about fostering children in the future. The 41-year-old actor and TV presenter fronts new BBC documentary, Joe Swash: Teens in Care, on Tuesday, July 11 and explores the stories of teens in care over the age of 16.
“I do think [fostering] could be something we could look into,” Joe tells wife Stacey, 33, and she replies: “I know you want to do it.”
Joe adds: “I look at my mum and you can see how much joy and passion and pleasure she gets from Daniel.” Joe's mother, Kiffy, has been a foster carer for more than 11 years - Daniel came to live with her when he was seven. Now aged 18, he lives away while studying at university.
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Whilst chatting to Joe, Stacey stresses that Kiffy waited until her children were adults before considering foster parenting. “I think it will be difficult trying to do it with kids so young now,” she says, referring to their three young children - Rex, Rose and Belle - and Stacey's sons from previous relationships who live with them - Zach and Leighton.
Stacey continues: “The only thing I would ever worry about is the child and I wouldn’t want to bring them into an environment where we couldn’t give them 100% attention or what they need. They’re going to need as much as any other child and more.”
“I think it’s something we should definitely think about,” Joe replies. He and Stacey wed last year at their home in Essex after first meeting in 2016.
Elsewhere in the film Joe spends time with teens who are at different stages of their lives in care, some in foster care, others in residential care and some who have left at 18 and are trying to make it alone. He also meets experts and policy makers to ask what they are doing to fix a system that he feels appears to be failing the young people it’s supposed to be caring for.
Joe Swash: Teens in Care airs on BBC One at 9pm on Tuesday, July 11. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
