Joe Swash jokes he ‘nearly had to catch’ son as he was born

Joe Swash has joked that his son’s birth was so "fast" he "nearly had to catch him" as he popped out.
The 37-year-old TV personality has opened up on the arrival of his two-week-old son Rex – who he shares with his long-time partner Stacey Solomon – and during an appearance on ITV’s ‘Loose Women’ on Friday (14.06.19), Joe hilariously spilled that the tot was born so quickly he almost had to take up the role of cricket "wicket keeper" in the delivery suite.
He shared: "It was the weirdest morning on my life, her sister works in the ward next door, Jemma [Stacey’s sister] came in and went, ‘I’m going to put the gloves on to help give birth’.
"I turned around and it was like a slip and slide, boom, it was just … honestly, we nearly had to catch him. I was like a wicket keeper."
And the former ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ winner – who has become a father for the second time as he already has 11-year-old son Harry with his ex-girlfriend Emma Sophocleous – revealed that when Stacey went into labour last month he didn’t take her seriously at first and thought her early contractions were a false alarm as they came two weeks before her due date.
He said: "It took me by surprise as well, obviously we’d been thinking we’d got another two weeks left and then at six in the morning she was like, ‘Oh I think it’s happening.’ I didn’t take her seriously until she went, ‘It’s happening!’ We then went to the hospital and we were there at eight and baby was born was by one minute past ten, and everyone was happy and safe.’ "
Joe was fulsome in his praise for Stacey – who already has sons Zachary, 11, and Leighton, seven, from previous relationships – for being such an "amazing warrior" throughout the labour.
He said: "Because it all happened so fast, usually you have that build up before the big pain comes, but Stacey’s came straight away. But she’s such a warrior, she was so amazing and she just knuckled down."
Speaking about how Rex is the final piece of their blended family, the former ‘EastEnders’ actor added: "Little Rex is such a little anchor for our family, he’s our connection. He relates us all now together, we’re like one big family."