💔 Joe Swash has opened up about the devastating loss of his father and the busy reality of family life with Stacey Solomon in an emotional episode of Who Do You Think You Are?
The former EastEnders star, 44, appeared on the BBC One ancestry series on Tuesday night, where he explored his family history and discovered moving details about the relatives who came before him.
But before beginning that journey, Joe reflected on the tragedy that shaped his childhood.
His father Ricky died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition when Joe was just 12 years old.
Ricky was only 39.
🕯️ Speaking about his grief, Joe admitted that the past had often felt like something he did not want to revisit.
He explained that when his dad was alive, their home had been full of laughter, warmth and life.
But everything changed after his death.
Joe said the house became filled with sadness and grief, and that for a long time the family was simply trying to survive the pain.
The presenter and actor admitted that losing his father so young left him vulnerable during some of the most important years of his life.
💬 Joe also spoke candidly about struggling at school.
He revealed that he had undiagnosed dyslexia and ADHD, which made things even more difficult as he tried to cope without a father figure.
Joe said he was often misunderstood as naughty or mischievous when, in reality, he was struggling.
Growing up in London, he also found himself surrounded by pressures that could easily have led him down the wrong path.
He described his teenage years as a “tug of war” between right and wrong.
Thankfully, Joe said, he had strong women in his life who helped keep him on track.
❤️ The episode also gave viewers a glimpse into Joe’s life now with Stacey Solomon.
Joe and Stacey live at Pickle Cottage with their children Rex, Rose and Belle, as well as Stacey’s sons from previous relationships, Zachary and Leighton.
The couple’s home life is famously busy, loving and full of children, pets, projects and family chaos.
Joe admitted that his life can feel hectic, especially with work taking him all over the place and hours that are often unpredictable.
Then, when he comes home, there are five children to look after.
🌿 To find a little peace, Joe said he sometimes goes fishing.
He admitted he does not do it enough, but explained that the activity gives him space to slow down.
For Joe, fishing is not really just about catching fish.
He said that only around 30 per cent of it is the fishing itself.
The other 70 per cent, he explained, is about sitting by the water, being close to nature and finding a rare moment of calm.
For a man with such a busy family and working life, that quiet escape clearly matters.
✨ As the episode continued, Joe discovered the story of his great-great grandfather Giuseppe.
Giuseppe was involved in activism and the Communist Workers’ movement during the 1920s.
Joe was visibly moved as he learned more about his ancestor’s beliefs and the causes he fought for.
He said it filled him with pride to discover that Giuseppe had been concerned not only about his own difficult life as an Italian immigrant, but also about wider issues in the world.
Joe described him as a man with a strong moral compass who stood by what he believed.
📜 One of the most emotional moments came when Joe was shown a newspaper cutting containing Giuseppe’s words.
The passage spoke about peace, unity and the need to organise against brutality and greed.
It imagined a world without armies, bloodshed or suffering.
As Joe read the words, he became overwhelmed and wiped away tears.
He admitted he had not expected to feel so emotional about relatives he had never known.
“I thought I could detach myself,” he said, before acknowledging how touching it was to read something written by someone from his own bloodline.
💫 The discovery appeared to change the way Joe saw his family history.
At the beginning of the programme, he had suggested that the past was not something he had always felt drawn to.
But by the end, he seemed deeply affected by what he had learned.
The episode connected his own struggles — grief, identity, family, fatherhood and resilience — with the lives of relatives who had faced their own battles generations earlier.
For Joe, the journey was not just about names on a family tree.
It became something much more personal.
🏡 The emotional revelations also gave new context to the life Joe has built with Stacey.
After losing his dad so young, Joe now finds himself at the centre of a large, noisy and loving family of his own.
His home may be chaotic, but it is also full of the life and laughter he remembers from before his father died.
That contrast made his reflections even more poignant.
The boy who lost his dad at 12 is now a father himself, trying to give his children the warmth and stability that meant so much to him.
🕊️ Joe’s Who Do You Think You Are? episode showed a softer, more vulnerable side to the TV favourite.
He spoke openly about grief.
He reflected on childhood struggles.
He laughed about the chaos of life with Stacey and their children.
And he cried as he discovered the powerful words of an ancestor who believed in peace and humanity.
For viewers, it was a moving reminder of how deeply the past can shape the present.
And for Joe, it seemed to offer something unexpected: pride, connection and a new understanding of where he came from.
