Joe Swash admits 'dark time' in life amid tense therapy clash with Stacey Solomon

Former EastEnders cast member has opened up about a "really dark time" in his life in the latest episode of Stacey and Joe. He spoke about the experience in a therapy session with his wife on tonight's episode of the documentary about their family.

The show, which launched earlier this month, follows Joe, 43, and Stacey, 35. It had been teased in a preview for the latest episode that the couple during a filming. Joe previously shared that he wasn't keen on the idea of therapy but did go ahead with it.

As well as speaking about his marriage in the session with therapist Natalie, Joe also discussed the loss of his late father Ricky Swash, who reportedly lived with an undiagnosed heart condition prior to his death. Ricky .

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Asked about his early life, Joe said: "Mine was quite traumatic. My dad died suddenly overnight. But I sort of witnessed it. And things changed from then y'know - my childhood changed. My home life changed. It's quite hard.

He added: "Then I was in secondary school and then I found that really difficult. I was always like getting up to mischief, getting in trouble, so I was always just tarred with the naughty kid [label]. It just ... it was just a really dark time."

Natalie suggested: "I think you think like that quite a lot of the time - y'know, that you're the problem. So that's where we're getting the defensiveness." She added that "underneath" he's giving himself a "really hard time". Joe said: "Maybe. I do feel like the problem."

The discussion about his bereavement came after Joe and Stacey had spoken about their marriage in the therapy session. Stacey said about their decision to attend it: "We decided together didn't we that it would be a good idea to go see a therapist who specialises in ADHD, because I think sometimes a lot of things we think we're not getting anywhere on, you think have to do with ADHD."

Speaking about his ADHD diagnosis in the session, Joe said: "I do things differently. I'll have a task to do and I'll get distracted. So I never finish anything. [...] But in my head all I'm doing is trying my best to do as much as I can for everybody and a lot of the time, end up pleasing nobody."

Stacey said that he "is putting a lot of effort in" but suggested that he doesn't always do the tasks she's asked. She said: "He'll do other things that aren't the stuff I'm asking." She added: "Sometimes I don't think you take into consideration all the fires I've got to put out everywhere."

Joe said: "It's so frustrating when I feel like all I am doing is trying to dedicate myself to my family and do everything I possibly can, every minute of the day and then to sit here and listen to the fact that I'm a huge problem." Stacey said that "nobody is saying that", before Joe said: "All I am hearing is that I'm this huge problem in Stacey's perfect life."

Stacey said it was "unfair" to her and Joe said he doesn't hear any "positive stuff about [him] as a person". Stacey said: "I would say this is our biggest issue in our whole relationship is that I cannot say anything without you taking it so personally as an attack on you as a whole person." Stacey said she wasn't at the session to "change" her husband, but to support their relationship.

On the way home, Stacey said: "Maybe our issue isn't even anything to do with you having ADHD. Maybe you think it's the ADHD but actually it's a normal part of our communication from whatever's happened in our lives." She said: "I think that would be a massive leap for us if we could hear each other better."

Later in the episode, whilst reflecting on the therapy session, Joe said: "I feel like I got off my chest how I felt and I feel like you got off your chest how you felt." Stacey added: "I feel like we've communicated better just since then." Joe teased that they could attend another session, saying: "I agree. I think we go back and see her, and then just take it step by step."

Stacey & Joe continues next Tuesday.

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