{"id":136507,"date":"2023-08-29T06:32:27","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T06:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magdelaine.net\/?p=136507"},"modified":"2023-08-29T06:32:27","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T06:32:27","slug":"i-need-to-sort-my-life-out-stacey-solomon-on-her-mental-health-amid-family-chaos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magdelaine.net\/tv-and-movies\/i-need-to-sort-my-life-out-stacey-solomon-on-her-mental-health-amid-family-chaos\/","title":{"rendered":"I need to sort my life out! – Stacey Solomon on her mental health amid family chaos"},"content":{"rendered":"

She\u2019s one of our warmest, kindest and most relatable TV stars, but tucked away behind her huge heart Stacey Solomon has a ruthless streak reserved exclusively for clutter. The 33-year-old is back with a third series of her hit BBC One show Sort Your Life Out With Stacey Solomon and she\u2019s determined to help the families taking part to find joy and peace in their homes.<\/p>\n

But to transform their habitats in just a week, they must kick the clutter. After seeing all their belongings laid out in a huge warehouse, the families donate, recycle or sell half. Back at their home, Stacey\u2019s team, which includes carpenter Robert Bent, professional declutterer Dilly Carter and cleaning expert Iwan Carrington, find storage solutions and organisational strategies to make sure things stay tidy.<\/p>\n

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For Stacey, who gently probes the reasons at heart of the chaos, it\u2019s more than just a TV show. \u201cWe get so invested in families and we care so much,\u201d she admits. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge sense of pride when we get to the end of it and everyone has mucked in and gone above and beyond. I\u2019m not just doing this because I want to be on telly, we genuinely love our families and want to make a difference in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asking for help is often the toughest part of changing your life \u2013 but agreeing to put your problems on telly is even harder and that\u2019s not lost on Stacey. \u201cFor them to be brave enough and open enough to let us into their house and then let the whole British public see, that is such a gift to us,\u201d she says. \u201cWe want to honour that as much as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the homes on the show are drowning in items like out-of-date food, old toys or sentimental keepsakes. However, Stacey has found there is often a heart-rending reason that people have got to the point where they need professional help.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe biggest reason from my experience is either their mental health, a significant event that\u2019s happened in their lives, or they might be an unconventional personality type,\u201d reveals Stacey. \u201cOnce someone gets in a situation where it feels unmanageable, and everything\u2019s very anxiety inducing, there\u2019s nowhere for them to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is where Stacey comes in with her team to reset the family and give them new ways of coping. Since the show started, it has tapped into a national need. So much so that the BBC has ordered series four, which has already started filming.<\/p>\n

Stacey thinks the show\u2019s popularity is due to the fact many viewers can relate.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are so quick to go, \u2018How could you let it get like that?\u2019 And actually there are so many explanations as to why it gets like that. It makes me quite cross. Don\u2019t throw something through your glass house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Stacey is not immune to an untidy house herself \u2013 especially when she\u2019s filming this show and not spending much time at home. \u201cI come home and I\u2019m like, \u2018Whoa, I\u2019ve got to sort my own life out!\u2019\u201d she laughs. \u201cLife is busy. Most people are working two full-time jobs, if not more. And they\u2019ve got children to contend with, as well as other commitments.\u201d <\/p>\n

On top of relating to the clutter, Stacey reckons we can all sympathise with the kind of mental health issues that make it hard to find the energy to sort through your sock drawer.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEven if you\u2019ve got no mental health issues \u2013 I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve ever met anyone who doesn\u2019t, myself included \u2013 even if you have nothing else to worry about, with both people in the household working and you\u2019ve got children, even that is enough to let it get on top of you,\u201d says Stacey.<\/p>\n

Stacey \u2013 who has six children between her and husband Joe Swash \u2013 admits she\u2019d love to get the Sort Your Life Out team into her house to help her find elegant solutions to the chaos of family life. \u201cI\u2019ve been asking for four series now,\u201d she jokes. \u201cI absolutely would. I can keep on top of the kitchen, the front room, mine and Joe\u2019s bedroom, and the toilets, everywhere else, I need to designate time to. If I\u2019m not home, it\u2019s not getting done!\u201d<\/p>\n

One thing Stacey would like to re-home is husband Joe\u2019s beloved barber\u2019s chair. \u201cHe does not like to let go at all,\u201d reveals Stacey. \u201cI hoard more but make sure that I\u2019m keeping on top of it whereas Joe will hoard less but it will never go anywhere. It will survive the nuclear holocaust and our grandchildren\u2019s grandchildren\u2019s grandchildren will end up getting his old
barber chair that he loves.\u201d <\/p>\n

Stacey\u2019s even thought about doing a special celebrity episode of Sort Your Life Out for Comic Relief and jokes, \u201cI\u2019ll have to put myself forward!\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of celebrities, Stacey has enlisted her \u201cincredible\u201d influencer pal Sophie Hinchliffe \u2013 aka Mrs Hinch \u2013 to stand in for Dilly in one episode of the new series. However, Stacey reveals they had a slight mishap when a cow started to eat Mrs Hinch\u2019s hair during filming. \u201cHer hair must have looked like hay,\u201d laughs Stacey. \u201cIt had a right little munch.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Filming on the show and meeting so many people has also taught Stacey an important life lesson that has improved her marriage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best lesson for me is that everyone needs and requires to live differently. For a long time, I couldn't comprehend how anyone wouldn't feel better living the way that I like to be – meticulously organised,\u201d explains Stacey. \u201cI personally love to go to the extreme and that makes me happy but what I've learned over the years is that not everyone is happy in that extreme and it's not necessary for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Stacey understands some people including her husband Joe to a more relaxed, flexible approach.<\/p>\n

She adds, \u201cHe needs to live a certain way for him to be able to function and I have to live a certain way for me to be able to function. And me trying to imply my own way onto him does him no favours and makes his life miserable and vice versa. The biggest lesson I've learned is that it's not for everyone. You've just got to find your own path. Do it your way how you like it and let them do it their way how they like it. And then there's less arguments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sort Your Life Out With Stacey Solomon, Thursday 7 September, 8pm, BBC One<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n