Joe Swash has disclosed that he and his wife, Stacey Solomon, are thinking about becoming foster parents when their children reach a certain age.
The 41-year-old former EastEnders actor is in the new BBC documentary Teens In Care, in which he spends time with young people in foster and residential care, as well as those who have just left.
It’s a subject near to Joe’s heart because his mother, Kiffy, was a carer for 15 years and fostered his brother Daniel for a decade, assisting him in getting into university.
‘When the kids are old enough, we’ll consider about fostering,’ Joe said of his aspirations to follow in his mother’s footsteps, according to the Mirror.
‘We love kids and Stacey is on the same page as me. She watched my mum’s journey, she’s watched Daniel’s journey. She’s been a massive support.’
Joe’s wife Stacey, 33, stated last month that they are taking ‘every precaution imaginable’ to prevent having a sixth child after expecting their fifth, Belle, in February of this year.
She and Joe have three children: Rex, three, Rose, one, and Belle.
Stacey, a former X Factor competitor, has 15-year-old Zachary with ex Dean Cox and 12-year-old Leighton with ex Aaron Barham.
Joe was said to have been incredibly moved by the state of England’s children’s care system and reportedly sighed: ‘I wanted to do more for them. There’s not much I can do apart from shining a light on the situation and that was a real struggle.’
‘I just wanted to take them all home with me, I just wanted to parent them, but I couldn’t, which was sad,’ he continued.
‘Anyone who met these teenagers would come away and feel guilty and feel like they’ve let them down in some way.’
Joe Swash: Teens In Care airs on Tuesday, July 11 at 9pm on BBC One.
