Stacey Solomon has shared an emotional letter to her teenage self about becoming a mother aged 18.
The reality star, 35, welcomed her first child, son Zachary, now 17, with a former boyfriend in 2007, before she shot to fame on The X Factor.
Solomon has gone on to have another son Leighton, 13, with another ex as well as Rex, six, Rose, three, and Belle, two, with her husband, former EastEnders actor Joe Swash.
The Sort Your Life Out star shared a motivational message to her younger self while celebrating a major career achievement - her haircare company REHAB. becoming the UK’s fastest growing beauty brand.
“A letter to teenage me - one day you’ll be a teenage mum and there will be people who tell you that you’re on a road to failure, that you’re not smart enough, that you aren’t strong enough, you don't speak well enough, you aren’t talented enough…” she wrote on Instagram.
“But then one day you will own the second fastest growing company in the UK with two incredible women who started off with a dream and a garage to work out of.”
She went on: “Today got my beautiful babies ready for school, then headed off to shoot a campaign with a brand I LOVE ) and then drove straight to the awards ceremony to celebrate our company becoming the Second fastest growing company in the country.
“A day like this I could have never even dreamed of growing up. And so many people told me it wouldn’t be possible. Never let anyone set your limits for you. Those people couldn’t have been more wrong.”
Solomon, who is currently appearing in the second series of her BBC reality show Stacey & Joe, invested and became co-founder of REHAB. alongside Vicky Ellis & Anastasia Tozer in October 2023.
REHAB. was announced as the second fastest growing company in the FEBE Growth 100 awards on Thursday night.
Solomon became pregnant with Zachary when she was a performing arts student in Essex, and her childhood sweetheart was 23.
The Renovation Rescue star previously said that becoming a teenage mother “shocked” her into being “meticulously organised” in her life.
“I tried to hang on to my social life and I just couldn't do it. I realised immediately that if I wasn't meticulously organised, I couldn't get my milk vouchers,” she told OK!
"I had to pick up my giro at a certain time every week, 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 a*** 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. Every time I slipped back from that organised self, I would just feel I couldn't cope with life."
