Joe Swash previously opened up about the court battle he faced with former fiancée Emma Sophocleous over their son Harry.
The couple dated between 2005 and 2008 and, following their split, went to court over son Harry, who was born in 2007. And it seems that, while 44-year-old Joe enjoys a brilliant relationship with his eldest now, it was a bit of a struggle to get there.
Joe – who’s back with Batch from Scratch: Cooking for Less tonight (February 23) – previously opened up about the custody battle he endured over son Harry, now 19. And the actor said it’s the “best money” he’s ever spent.
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Joe Swash on ‘tricky’ custody battle over son Harry
Chatting on the Step Life podcast back in 2020, Joe spoke openly about the blended family he shares with wife Stacey Solomon. And, he admitted, he feels “quite sorry for Hal for what he’s had to go through”.
Joe said: “With me and Harry it was tricky with his mum. We had to go to court and stuff like that. So in hindsight it’s a great thing. But it’s been a strange one for Hal. He’s had to do a lot of adapting. I do feel quite sorry for Hal for what he’s had to go through.”
Chatting about the court battle, he said it was “just one of those things” that they ended up in court. “It’s just one of those things, his mum and I weren’t agreeing on certain things and we had to go to court. We had to do it that way. And that’s what courts are there for, to sort things out. And it done exactly that. It’s changed our lives.”
Joe’s close bond with Harry
Happily, Joe says he now sees Harry every couple of days. The father and son also speak on the phone every day.
“Me and Hal, we’re in each other’s lives on a daily basis now. We talk to each other every day, we see each other every couple of days. He only lives 20 minutes away from me and at the beginning, maybe even five years ago, it’s completely different to what it is now,” Joe added.
The actor also revealed that the costly court battle was worth every penny. “I always said to my mum, when I was in court fighting for Hal, I wouldn’t want to spend my money on anything else apart from wanting to see my kid. And it’s the best money I’ve ever spent.”
‘I didn’t get to see him’
Speaking in a candid conversation on Dave Berry’s Dadpod podcast in 2020, Joe – who shares son Rex and daughters Belle and Rose with wife Stacey – admitted: “With my first child, Harry, there was a period where mine and Harry’s mum’s relationship affected my relationship with him.
“I didn’t get to see him for a period of time, so I missed out on quite a lot. Now, me and my son Hal, we spend all the time together. He’s, like, my shadow. I love him, but there was a period where I just couldn’t see this happening in the future. So, I did miss out quite a lot of Hal growing up, as a baby.”
Joe is also stepdad to Stacey’s eldest sons, Zachary and Leighton, from previous relationships.
Joe Swash on early days with son Harry: ‘I didn’t want to break him’
While promoting his BBC documentary Joe Swash: Forgotten Young Dads back in 2024, Joe also spoke about Harry on The One Show. He told host Alex Jones: “We’re so quick to jump on the bad dads out there. We need to look at the deeper reason why a lot of dads are not in their kids’ lives. Is it because there’s not enough support out there for them? That’s what we looked into.
“So I sort of looked at myself. I was 25 when I had my first child and I thought, how prepared was I? and I wasn’t. I didn’t know how to change a nappy, I didn’t know how hot the bottle should be.
“I remember when the midwife gave me the baby, it was like a little china glass. I didn’t want to break him. My partner at the time was chucking the baby around and being so confident with it, and I just didn’t have that.”
Joe added: “For myself personally, I lost my dad when I was 11. I’ve really struggled with my masculinity, who I am as an adult, who I am as a dad. All of this stuff I didn’t learn because it’s learnt behaviour. He wasn’t there to teach it. So, there’s got to be places for these young dads to go to, to find this support.”
Why Harry wasn’t in Stacey & Joe
Stacey & Joe debuted on BBC One in April 2024. However, Harry didn’t appear alongside the rest of the couple’s children. Neither did Stacey’s mum, who also prefers to stay out of the spotlight.
Harry doesn’t often feature in family photos online, and Stacey has explained the reason for this, telling fans: “I got loads and loads of comments, and I get these comments quite a lot, asking about all of our children in my photos.
“Unfortunately it’s not something I’m able to do, otherwise I’d do it all the time. All the kids are a massive part of our lives, obviously, and we love them all equally and adore them and, behind the scenes, they’re very much on every stocking, in every book, in every photo.
“But publicly that’s not something that I can do and I totally respect that. We respect everyone’s wishes, we’re a blended family and sometimes that’s a bit more complicated than it seems. I don’t know if that’s the best way to explain it!”
What’s Harry doing now?
While he currently stays away from the spotlight, Joe revealed Harry was undertaking work experience with his talent agency in 2024. Harry’s Instagram account lists himself as an aspiring actor. He also has a page dedicated to spoken word poetry.
Harry and mum Emma – who has a daughter from another relationship – are also close. Speaking on the Parenting Hell podcast when Stacey & Joe was on our screens, Joe revealed why Harry doesn’t appear. “He’s at his mum’s. He’s nearly 18 now. So he’s a big big boy.”
Batch from Scratch: Cooking for Less is on Channel 4 tonight (February 23) at 8pm.
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