On the most recent episode of their BBC show Stacey &, Joe, which aired tonight, Joe Swash opened up about his early life while undergoing therapy with his wife Stacey Solomon.
Former EastEnders cast member Joe Swash has opened up about a “really dark time” in his life. He spoke about the experience in a therapy session with Stacey Solomon on tonight’s episode of their documentary series Stacey & Joe.
The BBC show, which launched earlier this month, follows Joe, 43, and Stacey, 35. It had been teased in a preview for the latest episode that the couple attended a therapy session during a filming. Joe had previously shared that he wasn’t keen on the idea of therapy but did go ahead with it. As well as speaking about his marriage with therapist Natalie, he also discussed the loss of his late father Ricky Swash, who died when Joe was 12. Ricky, who was 39 at the time, had reportedly lived with an undiagnosed heart condition prior to his death.
Joe responded to Natalie when asked about his early life, “Mine was quite traumatic. My father suddenly passed away. But I almost witnessed it. And since then, things have changed, as you can tell. My home life altered. It’s a challenge.
He continued, “I found that really challenging while I was in secondary school.” I was always like I was getting into trouble or making up mischief, so I was always just tarred with the [label]naughty kid. Simply put, it was a very dark time.
Natalie responded, “I believe you think that quite a lot of the time that you are the problem. We are becoming more defensive in response to that. She made the speculative that Joe “underneath” himself “really hard.” Joe responded, “Maybe. The issue is real to me, though.
After Joe and Stacey had already discussed their marriage during the therapy session, the discussion broke out. We both decided it would be wise to see a therapist who specializes in ADHD, according to Stacey, “because I believe that sometimes many things we think we’re not getting anywhere on have to do with ADHD.”
Joe said during the session that he had been diagnosed with ADHD and that he “does things differently. I’ll be distracted and have a task to complete. I’m sure it must be so frustrating because I never finish anything. However, I constantly try my best to help everyone and often end up pleasing nobody in my head, which is what I’m doing.
Stacey claimed that despite his efforts to “support” her, he doesn’t always perform the tasks she has asked him to. However, she suggested that he “is putting a lot of effort in.” She responded, “He’ll do other things that aren’t what I’m asking for.” She continued, “You’re a great dad and you’re an amazing person, but sometimes I don’t think you take into account all the fires I’ve got to put out everywhere.”
When Joe said, “It’s so frustrating when I feel like all I’m doing is trying to devote myself to my family and make the most of every minute of every day, and then to sit here and hear that I’m a huge problem. Before Joe said, “All I’m hearing is that I’m this huge problem in Stacey’s perfect life,” Stacey said, “nobody is saying that.”
Joe claimed that he doesn’t hear any “positive stuff about]him] as a person, and Stacey claimed it was unfair to her. According to Stacey, “I would say that our biggest issue is that I cannot say anything without you taking it so personally as an attack on you as a whole person.”
She later told him, “It’s about working together to manage the situation.” Stacey claimed she wasn’t there to “change” her husband but to “support” who they are.
Natalie continued, “I believe there are some things that the diagnosis is exacerbating, but I believe there is also normal couple stuff.” She continued, “In terms of expectations and communication.” The therapist later observed that “it seems like you’re both sort of coming to the table with your minds already made up.” She is making a mockery of me. He must do this for me. I don’t get what I want. And I wonder if there is a balance between reality and reality.
Stacey said, “Maybe our issue isn’t even having to do with your ADHD,” on the way home. Although you might think it’s ADHD, it’s actually a common part of our communication based on what has happened in our lives. If we could hear each other better, she said, “I think that would be a huge leap for us.”
Later in the episode, the couple – who reportedly had a “row in the street” amid the therapy session – reflected on the therapy session. Joe said: “I feel like I got off my chest how I felt and I feel like you got off your chest how you felt.” Stacey added: “I feel like we’ve communicated better just since then.” Joe teased that they could attend another session, saying: “I agree. I think we go back and see her, and then just take it step by step.”
Next Tuesday at 8 p.m. on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, Stacey & Joe will continue. On BBC iPlayer, you can watch previous episodes.
Source: Mirror
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