She gave birth to her first child, Zachary, in 2008.
And Stacey Solomon, now a mother of four, has opened up about financial struggles to become a single mother at just 17 years old.
Speaking on Friday’s Loose Women episode, the 32-year-old said the government benefits she received at the time “saved my life”.
Young Mother: 32-year-old Stacey Solomon shares the financial struggles she faced as a single mother at just 17 (pictured after giving birth to her son Zachary in 2008)
The star explained that she was given a Sure Start Scholarship, which offers financial aid to mothers to help with a new baby.
She shared: “They gave me a Sure Start grant, which is what it was called at the time, and I can’t tell you how much it saved my life.”
“My working tax credits saved our lives, without them we couldn’t have endured.”
He went on to say that he relied on government assistance to buy essential products such as milk and baby supplies.
Saving Lives: Speaking on Friday’s episode of Loose Women, the star said that the benefits of the government he received at the time “saved my life”
She shared: “They gave me a Sure Start grant, which is what it was called at the time, and I can’t tell you how much it saved my life.”
“The milk tokens we get, to help us buy SMA and milk and stuff from the stores that we couldn’t afford,” he continued.
But returning the conversation to the present, Stacey took the opportunity to express how difficult it is for single mothers under the current government.
He told his panelist colleagues, “All this has been abolished, some of my friends who are now in similar circumstances do not even have these opportunities. They are completely away from people. ‘
Essentials: “The milk tokens we get, to help us buy SMA and milk and stuff from the stores we couldn’t afford,” he continued.
In his day: the television personality shares Zach with his ex-childhood Dean, having him a year before he reached fame in The X Factor (pictured in 2011)
Stacey concluded by saying it was “too little too late” while talking about the idea of the government distributing £ 400 to families as an “energy subsidy”.
The television personality has previously recounted her struggles as a single mother, before reaching fame through The X Factor and eventually becoming the mother of her three other children, nine-year-old Leighton. Rex, 24 months, and Rose, six months.
Speaking to You Magazine in November, Stacey admitted that abortion was an option she considered, as she felt her life was “over.”
Happy Family: Stacey is also the mother of two-year-old son Rex and five-month-old daughter Rose, whom she shares with Joe Swash, along with Zachary and her nine-year-old son Leighton.
But after deciding not to give up on Zach, who she shares with childhood ex-boyfriend Dean, the birth was not easy, as the star noted that she felt she could “die at any moment.”
“I had never had any injuries to prepare myself for even the slightest pain. When I had Zachary I was still a child.
“I felt vulnerable, as if I could die at any moment. That played a major role in the anxieties I had from then until now, really,” he told the publication.
Difficult: Speaking to You Magazine in November, Stacey admitted that abortion was an option she considered at the time, as she felt her life was “over.”