During Monday evening’s episode of The One Show, former EastEnders star Joe Swash candidly opened up about his journey as a father
During Monday’s (20 October) episode of The One Show, Joe Swash spoke openly about his experiences as a dad and losing his father in an emotional chat.
The former EastEnders actor, 43, joined the BBC One programme to talk about his latest documentary, Joe Swash: Forgotten Young Dads, which seeks to shine a light on and champion young fathers across the UK whilst examining the obstacles they encounter.
“We’re so quick to jump on the bad dads out there. We need to look at the deeper reason why a lot of dads are not in their kids’ lives. Is it because there’s not enough support out there for them? That’s what we looked into,” Joe told presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp.
Joe Swash on The One Show (Image: BBC)
The star then revealed how making the documentary prompted him to think back to becoming a parent at 25, when he had son Harry with former partner Emma Sophocleous.
“So I sort of looked at myself. I was 25 when I had my first child and I thought, ‘How prepared was I?’ and I wasn’t. I didn’t know how to change a nappy, I didn’t know how hot the bottle should be,” Joe, who now has four children, confessed.
He added: “I remember when the midwife gave me the baby, it was like a little china glass. I didn’t want to break him.
“My partner at the time was chucking the baby around and being so confident with it, and I just didn’t have that.”
Joe opened up about the profound impact losing his dad at a tender age of 11 had on his parenting abilities, and candidly shared the challenges he faced growing up without a father figure, reports Wales Online.
Joe also shares three children with wife Stacey Solomon (Image: Instagram)
“For myself personally, I lost my dad when I was 11. I’ve really struggled with my masculinity, who I am as an adult, who I am as a dad. All of this stuff I didn’t learn because it’s learnt behaviour.
“He wasn’t there to teach it. So, there’s got to be places for these young dads to go to, to find this support,” Joe expressed.
In addition to being a dad to Harry, now 18, Joe is also a proud father to son Rex, six, and daughters Rose, four, and two year old Belle, with his wife Stacey Solomon.
He also plays the role of stepdad to Stacey’s two teenage sons, Zachary, 17, and Leighton, 13.
The One Show airs on weeknights at 7pm on BBC One. Joe Swash: Forgotten Young Dads is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.