Stacey Solomon opens up on Joe Swash's plans to be foster parents

What did you miss?

Stacey Solomon has revealed her husband Joe Swash wants to become a foster parent once their children have left home.

The Loose Women star met a couple planning to become foster parents in the most recent episode of her home organisation show Sort Your Life Out, and shared her own family's plans to expand.

It was an emotional episode as co-star Dilly Carter bonded with the family's daughters over adoption and viewers were left in tears.

What, how and why?

Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon is known for being one of the most heartwarming shows on TV, and the series finale did not disappoint as she met Shirley and Martin who were hoping to clear their house so that they could start fostering.

The couple had adopted two daughters, who are now grown up with their own children, and Shirley shared with host Solomon her dream of becoming a foster parent.

Mum-of-five Solomon then opened up to Shirley about her husband Joe Swash's hopes to do the same in the future.

Solomon said: "It's such an incredible thing to do. Joe grew up in a home where his mum fostered and Joe's always said when our kids grow up and move out, that's what he wants to do, so I get it."

Later, Swash arrived at the family's home to help out and asked Solomon: "Is this the family you were telling me about who want to foster?"

She told him: "This'll be us in 20 years if you get what you want," as Swash replied: "It will be."

The emotional episode left viewers in tears as Shirley explained: "There was a time when I thought I would never be a mum."

She said of hoarding her daughters' childhood belongings: "Because it was such a long journey to get them, I don't want to get rid of any of their things."

Solomon wasn't the only one of the show's stars to reveal her plans to expand her family, as co-star Dilly Carter bonded with the couple's daughters over their experiences of adoption.

Carter said: "When I had my own child Nelly she was my first bloodline. I think oh my god, you're the only person I'm actually related to. I've got no-one else in this country, no-one else in my life. It's a really weird feeling."

Just before filming this series, Carter had undergone cancer surgery and she told the family: "I can't have any more children, so I'm now hopefully going to go full circle and adopt myself."

One moved viewer commented on X: "#sortyourlifeout is a tear jerker this evening. What a beautiful family. And will somebody please give Dilly a massive hug. What a fantastic woman going through some stuff at the moment."

Someone else wrote: "Very touching episode this. Real connections and healing going on for all. It's beautiful."

Another viewer added: "What a wonderful family. Blubbing."

What else happened on Sort Your Life Out?

Solomon is usually ruthless in her task to cut down on each family's clutter, but in this week's episode she admitted to having sleepless nights over asking Shirley to throw out her old childhood doll which was missing an eye.

Talking about the doll, Shirley said: "I used to hold her and say to her things that I never got told by my own mum, which was 'I will always look after you for the rest of my life'."

Eventually, Solomon gave in and rescued the doll who was given a new eye.

One viewer commented: "Take Shirley's doll to #TheRepairShop!" as someone else added: "I was ready to write to ofcom if they binned the doll!"

Some of Solomon's own children also made an appearance as Swash brought her youngest three to visit and older son Zack stuck around to help with DIY.

One fan commented: "What a pleasant young man Zack is," as another viewer wrote: "How cute are Stacey's kids." Someone else added: "Her baby girl is so gorgeous!"

Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon airs on BBC One at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Read more: Stacey Solomon

• Stacey Solomon admits parenting struggles after becoming a mum of five (Evening Standard, 1 min read)

• Stacey Solomon reveals why she feels like she has been a 'mug' in recent years (BANG Showbiz, 2 min read)

• Stacey Solomon shares sweet snaps from her family holiday (Good Housekeeping, 1 min read)

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