I've always loved Stacey Solomon. But the bikini pics have led me to a startling realisation… and deep unease
I LOVE Stacey Solomon, I really do.
I've known her since she was on The X Factor as an ambitious 20-year-old and felt for her when her latest reality show 'Stacey and Joe' was slammed - why, then, did the pics of her glorious curves this week hit me like a ton of bricks?
6
6
6
As she posed in her orange bikini on holiday in Lake Como this week, she looked happy, healthy and carefree.
Sadly the vile trolls unleashed a torrent of abuse on her with one cruelly saying "She's let herself go" while another added " Ozempic needed".
And as I absorbed the comments, it hit me how long it had been since I had seen a celebrity body that looked like my own.
Recently it feels like on social media I am constantly bombarded with tiny toned bodies, perfect pert bums and impossibly flat stomachs.
Even when I put down my phone it's on our TV screens as the new season of Love Island kicked off with girls in barely-there bikinis and not one belly roll in sight.
It's quite a worrying trend and it's left me feeling uneasy that being thin is so back en vogue.
I grew up in the era where pals lived by Kate Moss 's mantra 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'.
Having struggled with my weight since my teens and having tried (and failed) to do every fad diet going, I've always felt inadequate.
I was grateful for the rise of the body confident movement, and I totally embraced it.
Finally I could feel comfortable in my own skin because celebrities like Adele, Rebel Wilson and Lizzo - who looked like me - were saying they felt sexy, too.
But over the last 12 months I've seen curvier (and actually not-so-curvy) celebs slim down at an accelerated rate with the rise of fat jabs.
Everyone has the right to do what they want with their bodies and lose weight however they choose and there are certainly health benefits to slimming down.
Stacey Solomon looks incredible as she strips off to black bikini and jumps off a bridge in Italy
But this new quick fix means our celebrities are smaller than ever and I think it's making people forget what real women look like.
The cult of thin is back in such a big way and it's depressing for those who aren't getting on board and sacrificing themselves to weight loss injections in a bid to be a skinny minny.
Stacey, who is a busy mum to Zachary, 17, Leighton, 12, Rex, five, Rose, three and two-year-old Belle, has never shied away from celebrating her 'mum bod'.
And it is refreshing to see a typical healthy woman in the public eye.
It makes me feel that it would be OK for me to get my body out this summer on holiday.
Two years ago, the 35-year-old, who is married to Joe Swash, revealed to her followers she's a size 10-12.
The average woman in the UK is a size 16 so while she is still smaller than most women, she is still being judged.
The Loose Women star is also maintaining a healthy lifestyle, often working out in her newly built home gym where she aims to be strong not skinny.
Standing in front of a mirror she said: 'I thought it was really important to come on here and say when I take the gym clothes off I look like this…' before pulling down her leggings down past her hips to show off unfiltered and non-photoshopped body.
She added, '...Which is also really pretty and a really lovely body and I just feel like it's important to show that.'
Stacey is one of our most successful Brit celebrities with over 6.1m followers.
Strong not skinny
She's got a host of TV shows and successful brand deals and is even rumoured to be taking part in this year's Strictly Come Dancing.
In a sea of size zero Ozempic loving stars, maintaining her realistic normal body is perhaps why she's still winning over audiences.
Stacey's success is not determined by the size on her label.
I'm grateful, like many other women, that she prefers to give us an injection of her relatable and funny personality rather than injecting a weight loss drug into her body!
6
6
6
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
‘My heart bursts' – Proud Laura Woods pays emotional tribute to Adam Collard as gives she update on post-pregnancy body
LAURA WOODS has paid an emotional tribute to boyfriend Adam Collard for being her rock and helping her maintain her confidence. The couple, who went public with their romance in October 2023, welcomed their first child, son Leo, into the world last January. 5 5 5 Adjusting to the demands of motherhood while juggling a demanding job has been testing at times for Woods. But Collard has seemingly made the adjustment that much easier for the TNT Sports broadcaster, who posted a gushing tribute to the former Love Island star on her Instagram story. In a series of posts with videos of Collard and Leo, she wrote: " I don't always big him up publicly because he knows how I feel about him. "But for a moment, I just want to say how proud I am of him. "And how my heart bursts watching him be a dad to Leo and how bloody good he is at it." Woods also went public with her appreciation for Collard helping her maintain her body confidence throughout and after her pregnancy. Along with a snap of herself in the gym before she fell pregnant, she wrote: "And how much he's helped me go from this pre-pregnancy. "Through nine months of growing and through postnatal to a place that feels much more like 'me'. 5 5 "Gently, gently with a lot of love and support and never letting me and my body feel any less attractive than the day we met." Woods was back on our screens in late April, returning for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final tie between Inter Milan. and Barcelona. And Collard was proud as punch of his other half for going back to work after just over three months. He proudly shared a snap of Woods in action from his hospital bed after having back surgery. He wrote: "Now watching my girl from the bed on her first day back. "Proud of her after only 13 weeks getting back into the mix. "And I can't tell you how much she's been my rock throughout this whole injury, process and the last six months in general on all fronts."
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
I took a risk & bought a £73 dupe of the £2k cloud couch from SHEIN but I'm obsessed, it's so comfy I could sleep on it
A YOUNG woman has shared how she transformed her home on a budget using Shein buys. While many buy home decor from the site, this young woman decided to take a risk and order furniture. 4 The woman who goes by organizemyoasis online took to social media to share her budget-friendly find. She said: "I bought a couch on Shein so you don't have to." In one clip, she lay down on the stunning white sofa to measure its length, estimating it was 6ft 2 inches long. "I think it's a dupe of the cloud couch," she said, adding, "I would not eat on this couch." The white sofa came with a huge footstool that can be added to the end of the sofa to make it a corner one. The original cloud couch by Opaliving has four sections that can be moved to create a sofa to suit your space, as did the Shein version. However, the original is an eye-watering £1,999 to purchase. The young woman revealed in the comments she was able to grab the dupe of the luxury sofa for a shocking £75 as it was on sale. Six months on from buying the sofa, she shared what she thought of it and how well it held up, and it didn't disappoint. "I'm obsessed with my new couch. Like seriously obsessed. I've been through a lot of couches in my day," she said. 4 Shein have outdone themselves!' shoppers rave over customisable neon signs for under £40 & they're ideal for weddings "Some good, some bad. But this one? This one's a game changer. I'm officially in my white couch era." "The cushions are so soft and supportive. I could literally live on this couch," she added. As she purchased the sofa over six months ago it is no longer available on the site, but Shein is selling a similar version of the sofa for £425 which has lots of storage underneath. The clip has since gone viral with over 160k views and people were stunned by the quality of the furniture. One person wrote: "I love the set up!" What is Shein and is it legit? Shein is an online-only fast-fashion retailer, based out of China, that has become a number one shopping destination for many around the world. The company was valued at $66billion in 2023, dwarfing that of popular high street brands Zara and H&M. The fashion retailer was founded in late 2008, by entrepreneur and marketing specialist Xu Yangtian, also known as Chris Xu. Shein is a legitimate selling website and is not a phishing scam. But you may receive a disappointing order or run into shipping issues if you order from the site, according to reviews. There have been swathes of quality complaints, which makes sense when looking at the price tag. Another commented: 'Thanks for the review! They LOOK comfy so maybe once they are 'broken in' more they will get more comfy." "I'm blown away. I had no idea you can order a couch from Shein and have it delivered in a box," penned a third. Meanwhile a fourth said: "That couch is nice!" "Did not disappoint,' claimed a fifth. Someone else added: 'YDid not disappoint."
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Moment tourist sits on crystal-studded 'Van Gogh' chair exhibit in Verona art gallery for a picture - before it shatters under his weight
A tourist has been caught on CCTV sitting on a crystal-studded 'Van Gogh' chair exhibit in an Italian art gallery - before it buckles under him. The chair, which is named after the famous Dutch painter, is housed in the Maffei Palace, Verona, and is covered with hundreds of Swarovski crystals. It was designed by Italian artist Nicola Bolla and is described by local media as being 'extremely fragile and delicate'. However, it appears that while admiring the art, a tourist spotted their opportunity for a photo with no security around - without regard for the chair's condition. In the shocking footage, a man and woman can be seen posing with the eye-catching chair in the otherwise empty room. As the man takes the woman's photo, she leans in front of the the chair in order to create the illusion in the photograph that she is sitting on it. But the man took this one step further and can be seen hovering above the exhibit, before placing himself down on it. The chair immediately bends back into the wall and is left in a crooked state as the pair scurry out of the room. The crystal-studded art is is left in a crooked state as the pair scurry out of the room In the aftermath of the incident, the museum's social media accounts released a statement describing the 'nightmare' situation. They said: 'Every museum's nightmare has become reality, even in Palazzo Maffei. 'Waiting for the surveillance officers to come out, some visitors took an "in effect" photo. 'The result? An irresponsible gesture caused serious damage to Nicola Bolla's "Van Gogh" chair, a very delicate work, covered entirely with hundreds of Swarovski crystals.' The museum was in crisis for days as it was unsure whether they could repair it, given the severity of the damage. But thanks to 'restorers who did a fantastic job' and Italian law enforcement who assisted in their efforts, the museum has said 'the piece is shining once again'. They added: 'We are sharing this episode not only for the sake of reporting, but to start a real campaign to raise awareness about the value of art and the respect it deserves. 'A heartfelt thank you goes to the police, our security department and the restaurateurs, whose valuable work allowed the recovery of the work. 'And a special thank you to all of you who walk through the museum halls every day with care, attention and wonder. 'Because art is not just for seeing. It is to be loved. It is to be protected.'
