Stacey Solomon defended by Joe Swash’s EastEnders pal Natalie Cassidy after show backlash
Natalie Cassidy, who has known fellow EastEnders legend Joe Swash since she was nine-years-old, shared her admiration for Stacey after the family's new reality show faced criticism from BBC viewers
Natalie Cassidy has leapt to the defence of Stacey Solomon, after the X Factor star faced backlash over her new reality show from TV critics and some viewers.
In a recent episode of the Off The Telly podcast, EastEnders star Natalie and Gavin and Stacey's Joanna Page weighed in on Stacey's latest project, the six-part BBC reality series, 'Stacey & Joe'.
In the programme, the couple offers fans a fly-on-the-wall insight into their busy lives at Pickle Cottage in Essex.
They share their home with their kids, Zachary, 17; Leighton, 12; Rex, five; Rose, three; and Belle, two; their dogs, Peanut and Teddy; and four ducks.
Natalie said she'd known Joe, a fellow Albert Square legend, since she was about nine-years-old. She and Joanna dubbed the Mickey Miller actor "lovely" and heaped praise on Stacey.
It comes after the debut episode of Stacey & Joe drew backlash from some BBC viewers, with one person slamming the BBC's choice to commission the programme as "The TV license goes up." However, Natalie had only kind things to say about Stacey.
Natalie said: "Say what you want about people, but whenever I see somebody like Stacey, like Rylan [Clark], where they've come from a reality show - that's what happened all those years ago - and they've created a career and life.
"Like, she has done so many things and has done so well. She's won awards at the National Television Awards for Sort Your Life Out. She's been nominated for a BAFTA."
The actress continued: "She's had ranges across so many shops. Her business acumen and what she's achieved; well, that's the first thing, and then, she's got a family to deal with."
Despite Stacey and Joe gaining support from their famous friends and fans, some viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their grievances about the debut episode.
One person said: "Stacey & Joe. F**k sake @BBCOne stop wasting our licence fee." A third person wrote: "I'm sorry but who the f**k signed this off? #Stacey&Joe."
The series was also slated by The Guardian as a "nightmarishly stressful watch" due to one moment from the first episode, which saw Joe return home hours late when he was meant to be looking after the children for Stacey, who had an important meeting scheduled.
Others were more positive about the series, with one saying you've "gotta love" the couple, adding that they are "very hard workers" with "lovely children". Meanwhile, another person said: "Some nasty comments about #staceyandjoe you don’t have to watch yknow!"
Stacey and Joe first crossed paths on the set of I'm A Celeb. After appearing on The X Factor in 2009, she was crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2010. They ultimately struck up a romance in 2016 and married in 2022.