Sort Your Life Out star Stacey Solomon was a struggling single mum when she first emerged into the showbiz spotlight in 2009.
Before she soared to that year’s X Factor final, the unknown Stacey was claiming benefits. Now she is a telly favourite (and Queen of the Jungle), a social media superstar, and reportedly a millionaire to boot.
Here’s how Stacey Solomon carved out a unique path for herself, travelling from Dagenham to Pickle Cottage.
Stacey Solomon on being a single mum
Now 34 and a mother of five, Stacey recently opened up about how becoming a mum for the first time at 17
According to MailOnline, she reflected: “When I had Zachary, I went from a carefree, I’m-never-gonna-die-life-is-fantastic teenager to, I’ve got a child who depends on me.
“I realised immediately that if I wasn’t meticulously organised, I couldn’t get my milk vouchers. I had to pick up my giro at a certain time every week. And I had to get the baby into nursery and out of nursery at a certain time. There was so much for me to remember and think about.
“If I didn’t get my [blank] in gear, I wouldn’t have survived. I wouldn’t have passed my A levels. And I wouldn’t have kept my baby alive. It shocked me into it.”
Auditioning for X Factor
Stacey was a bubbly, giggling 19-year-old the first time she stood in front of Simon Cowell and the fellow X Factor judges.
She sang a rendition of What a Wonderful World – and her voice below them all away.
Having rolled his eyes before Stacey’s performed, Simon admitted he’d initially misjudged her.
“I am rarely surprised. But I have to be honest with you, I was really surprised. I think you are really, really good,” he told her.
Stacey continued to defy expectations, winning over viewers as well as the show’s judges.
Ultimately, Stacey placed third behind Olly Murs and winner Joe McElderry. But her next big TV move would establish her as an even bigger star on her journey to becoming a national treasure.
I’m A Celebrity
Having toured around the UK with the X Factor finalists after the TV series concluded, Stacey pushed forward as a solo fan favourite by heading down under in late 2010.
Among those joining her in the I’m A Celebrity camp that year were Linford Christie, Gillian McKeith and Alison Hammond.
But Stacey proved by far the viewers’ fave, and was crowned Queen of the Jungle. Just over a year earlier, telly fans wouldn’t have been able to pick her out of a line up.
Every occasion viewers voted for campmates, Stacey amassed over 50% of the vote! And when it came to the final, she absolutely crushed the polling with 80.07% supporting her to be winner over Shaun Ryder.
Never in a million years did I think anything like this could happen. I’m a wreck.
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