'I HIDE FROM THE KIDS IN MY WARDROBE!'

STACEY SOLOMON THROWS OPEN THE DOORS TO PICKLE COTTAGE AND TALKS ALL THINGS HOME LIFE

- LESLEY JONES

She’s as famous for being a domestic goddess as for her X Factor days, and super-mum Stacey Solomon regularly impresses her 5.7 million Instagram followers with her decorating hacks and clever storage solutions. Getting a closer look at her Essex home, Pickle Cottage, which she shares with her actor and presenter husband Joe Swash, 41, is a rare treat – and as our pictures show, the TV presenter’s love of cosy interiors, comforting colours and gorgeous, quirky ornaments shines through. Although, with three children aged four and under, it’s amazing how orderly the place looks.

As the 33-year-old settles down for an exclusive interview with OK!, the star, who is mum to Zachary, 15, Leighton, 10, Rex, four, 23-month-old Rose and six-month-old Belle, confesses hasn’t always had a talent for tidying.

“Me and my mum laugh about this now, because before I had Zachary I was all over the place,” she admits. “I was such an unorganised mess. I was so scatty and would forget my instruments for school and all my homework and stuff and I just lived this really ridiculously awkward life of losing stuff.”

When she unexpectedly became a mum at the age of 17, Stacey realised that if she didn’t overhaul her chaotic lifestyle, she wouldn’t be able to cope. It turned out to be a valuable lesson that still stands her in good stead today.

“I honestly put it down to having Zach at a really young age and having so many commitments,” says Stacey, who gave birth to her latest addition to the family, daughter Belle, in February.