Stacey Solomon has given a glimpse into her home life with her husband Joe Swash as fans got to see her sleeping arrangements before she got stuck into her new regime. The Loose Women star documented her early wake-up call on Tuesday (May 9) after vowing to hit the gym.
Over the Bank Holiday weekend, Stacey vowed to make a change after venturing into the Pickle Cottage gym. While the TV star's loyal social media followers have often seen inside the enormous Essex pad, which has been dubbed Pickle Cottage in a nod to Stacey's nickname for her children, the gym space was on her fans hadn't seen before.
However, the mum-of-five compared the cobweb-filled space to Mrs Haversham's home after neglecting the area. It wasn't quite like as is seen in the Dickens novel, though. The room, which had been branded in large white writing on the floor spelling out 'Pickles Gym', had simply been left to collect dust - as did the exercise equipment acquired by former EastEnders star Joe.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
She explained how Joe decided to take the bike-based exercise machine for himself during one of Stacey's clearouts with a family on her BBC One show Sort Your Life Out. But it hasn't been used since and Stacey was determined to change that.
In a previous post she said: "I’m going to try and use it every day. If I don’t for the next month then the whole lot is going to charity. Because it’s such a waste! I hate the gym tbh but I hate waste more so maybe this will be good for me."
Then when taking a bath, Stacey reaffirmed her vow, admitting that now she's said it publically she can't really backtrack. The mum-of-five said she had set her alarm early in the hope of waking before her children and when Tuesday morning rolled around, the former X Factor finalist stuck to her word.
Stacey posted a glimpse at her early morning in a series of videos posted to her Instagram Story and it showed how she got out of bed before 6am to make sure she could head to the gym before the rush of the school run. Before heading down for her workout, she shared a short clip of her husband Joe, 41, sleeping in bed with the eldest of their shared children Rex, three, and Rose, one.
The couple, who married in the sprawling garden of their family abode last July, also share baby daughter Belle, who was born in February, while Joe is dad to son Harry, 16, and Stacey is mum to sons Zachary, 15, and Leighton, 11, from previous relationships.
"I only bloody did it," Stacey typed over the video with a crying laughing emoji. "I mean, I look like the amateur that I am but I don't care. Everyone's got to start somewhere. Peanut [the dog] came and had a stretch with me," the former I'm A Celebrity Queen of the Jungle added with a face holding back tears emoji.
The video went on to show Stacey slipping into her gym gear - black leggings and a sports bra which she covered with a sweatshirt - before walking the grounds of Pickle Cottage to get to the gym, which is housed in a garage. She was seen getting stuck in to some walking on the treadmill but confessed she was tempted to push the emergency stop button just four minutes into her exercise.
She said as she filmed herself at work: "I've got four minutes left of half an hour. I want to press the emergency stop, I wanted to press it four minutes in. Now I'm like, I'm four minutes out and I'm like, distract yourself. [I've] come on here, that's at least one minute gone. I'm at such a low speed and I'm so out of breath. It's actually embarrassing.
"Like I don't even want to... it's embarrassing. Oh well, I'm going to get better. I'm going to get better. But I do just want to press that bloody emergency stop. Why do they put it right in front of you in big red writing as if to say it will be over if you just press this button."
But she saw her planned time in the gym through, later telling fans: "I've done it! It's slowing down on its own, I didn't have to press anything. It's on the cool down, this is much more my pace by the way. I'm definitely loving that." Clearly chuffed with her achievement, she added: "I don't care if it was the slowest uphill walk ever in history, I done it!"
Posing for a smiling mirror selfie, Stacey could be seen sporting a pink cardigan from her new In The Style with matching figure-hugging leggings while she wore her long blonde locks tied back into a ponytail. "Feeling really pleased with myself," she typed alongside it.
"I must say the feeling after has far out [weighed] the pain during!" She then revealed: "Now I've got my lucky notebook and I'm off to the office to have a really exciting meeting. With a company that I cannot even believe are coming to my house [crying emoji]. I can't wait to share this one with you. It doesn't even feel real."
READ NEXT:
- Kerry Katona left bedbound and says body 'shuts down' amid health battle
- Emma Willis pays gushing tribute to husband Matt after admitting 'bad times' in marriage as he details depths of addiction
- Holly Willoughby strips off as she reveals new challenge that's taken a year to start to fans
- Coronation Street's Andy Whyment responds to I'm A Celebrity exit as he says he 'did the right thing'
- Stacey Solomon shows off previously unseen Pickle Cottage room as she vows to make lifestyle change and says 'who am I?'