Dad's my X
We find father of Stacey's baby boy
THIS is the mystery father of single mum Stacey Solomon's baby - her ex-boyfriend Dean Cox.
Our series of snaps show the X-Factor Essex Girl playing happy families with little Zac and car sprayer Dean last year.
The single mum - who claims that she has been left to raise the 19-month-old tot on her own - has refused to talk about the father of her child in the past.
Last night, a friend of Dean insisted he is a doting dad who looks after his son.
The source said: "Dean is a wonderful father. He is always rushing away from work to pick up Zac and seems to be with him every other week. To say he is not around very often is dead wrong.
"He loves Zac very much and recently got a tattoo with his son's name on it."
Dean, 20, from Dagenham, works at a car body repair centre, where he has been training as an apprentice painter.
The source added: "Stacey and Dean were together for a couple of years at least. He was over the moon when he found out she was pregnant. He couldn't stop talking about it.
"He really loved Stacey and was proud to be having a baby with her. When Zac arrived, Dean wouldn't shut up about him.
"It was always Zac this, and Zac that. And then a few months ago, things fell apart. Not a lot of people know why, but he and Stacey just decided to end it."
It's a far cry from the loved-up couple posing for these pics.
In one, taken in the Forest of Dean, Gloucs, doting dad Dean hugs beaming baby Zac. And in another, Dean gives mum and tot a push on a swing.
These eXSclusive pictures also show yummy mummy Stacey as a bikini babe - and how she's shed her baby weight in order to look superstar slimline for X Factor.
The source said: "Since the split, Dean has made sure he kept in contact with Zac.
"He has vowed to make Zac a real priority.
"I have no idea why Stacey is being so secretive about him, or suggesting he isn't really part of Zac's life. He is a big part of it.
"And he is proud of Stacey as well. If she comes up in conversation, or there is a photo of her somewhere, he'll tell everyone, 'That's my ex'."
The friend added: "Dean isn't the best looking guy, but he charms women with his personality.
"He is really funny and loves to be the centre of attention, always telling jokes. But he has a very caring, considerate side as well.
"He likes to go out and have a drink with his mates, but he doesn't drink any more than a normal lad his age. He really is a great guy."
But Stacey - bookies' second favourite to win the show - never talks about him and has ordered pals to do the same, despite proudly showing off Zac on telly.
This summer Stacey, who celebrated her 20th birthday last Sunday, told us how the whole experience with Dean and being a single mum has led her to steer clear of men and just focus on raising "cheeky" Zac.
She said: "What happened between me and Zac's dad is between the two of us. We still see him every now and again. I don't like to talk about that. It's me and mum who look after and support Zac, and I'm really proud of that.
Priority
"I've been single for ages now. Men aren't a priority for me. I'll will date again, but not now."
Recalling the day she found out she was expecting, Stacey said: "It was a shock. I knew I had to tell my parents right away.
"My dad is scarier, so I told him first. I went over to his house and we sat down in the front room. I told him and the first thing he said was, 'You'd better not be'.
"We had a little, well, talk. It was tough.
"Then I told my mum. It was hard because she was of course happy about the baby, but sad because I was at college and it meant that I would have to put my life on hold."
But while Stacey is over Dean - and men in general - she is still crazy about her little man Zac, who is being looked after by her mum Fiona and helpers while his mother is in the X Factor house.
Stacey said: "Zac is fine. I call him every day. I miss him but I can't complain, can I? I get to meet famous people and get free haircuts."
And Stacey got to celebrate her birthday in style with her new X Factor pals.
Mentor Dannii Minogue dropped by the X Factor house with a designer handbag, a jumper and some glittery cupcakes.
Stacey said: "The bag was so nice - but I can't remember what brand it was. It's just a little gold clutch bag.
"Dannii is wicked. She is so nice, always looking after us. She always texts to make sure we are okay."
Please note: All comments are moderated.
Tick this box to accept our
TERMS & CONDITIONS
This article has 25 comments
i love stacey she is sooooo hot man
By anomynos.. Posted March 13 2010 at 8:51 PM.
yeah she might of been a typical teenager moody after the baby to dean but come on shes just been throught all tht pain to deliver zak , at least shes trying to give zak the best life he can and whats the dad doing probs nothing GO ON STACEY!
BTW you amazing:) i love her!
By derry patterson.. Posted March 1 2010 at 7:06 PM.
ii LoOvee Stacy Solmon Soooooooooo Much :)
By Dylan Lee Akaa Stacy Solmon LoOverr.. Posted February 22 2010 at 1:05 PM.
I backed Stacey to win X Factor, but it was not to be, Loved her, and her voice. Johnx
By John E Caley.. Posted February 14 2010 at 8:58 PM.
Stacey rocks!!!
By Bethan Potter.. Posted February 9 2010 at 7:18 PM.
she is amazing at singing and she is so funny i hope she wins im the biggest fan stacey is the best singer on the x factor
love you stacey
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ps hope you win
By jaz.. Posted November 28 2009 at 8:20 PM.
Stacey is a breath of fresh air!
By Paul .. Posted November 27 2009 at 7:21 AM.
Go for it girl your my Strieslan, hope you win, if not you will be around for a long time to come. I would love to hear you on a talk show.
By Dave the old Fireman.. Posted November 19 2009 at 6:35 PM.
as hannah montana says 'nobody's perfect'
just because she has made mistakes doesn't make her a bad person. nobody in the whole world can say they haven't made a mistake in life or that they are perfect so KEEP ON GOING STACEY!!!
By Veeeee.. Posted November 19 2009 at 2:18 PM.
I love Stacey’s Voice and I think it's the best out of all the others in the X factor show however she may not yet be the best performer in terms of dancing ...etc but she does have a good chance of winning. As it’s a singing competition the voice and ability to sing are the most important things and everything else is second priority and if you don’t like her personality then think to yourself do you know every singer’s personality and are they all perfect ? as long as she smiles a lot and she’s always happy she can’t be that bad!
By Kobi.. Posted November 17 2009 at 4:07 PM.
Hi
For all those who have put negative comments on this site, I would like to say that none of us are perfect in life and no-one can say that they have one mood or one way of speaking all thier lives. We are all different and we all change day to day with whatever happens in our worlds.
How can any of you say that Stacey should be this or should be that when you dont know her and probably never will and even if you do how many times a week does your personality change to go with certain circumstances...we are all human beings befor we are anything else and whatever Stacey is, is for her son, herself and family to really know.
You may not be jealous but believe me you are being very negative. The way I see it is if you cannot say anything nice then do not say anything at all.
I would love to see Stacey win but even if she doesnt she has gone into this and come this far with her x factor journey.....which is more than most people would do in a lifetime.
Good luck Stacey and we love you for who you are!!!! xxxxx
By Marilyn.. Posted November 17 2009 at 3:33 AM.
Liz is right, sorry to say this but she really needs to learn how to interact well with people. It is not just about her singing which is brillant but she has to be able to pass her message across that is if she wins x- factor.
By Jo.. Posted November 14 2009 at 11:11 PM.
I think Stacey has a great voice, but I think she needs some advice when it comes to her post performance chat, she has proved she can walk, not she has to learn to talk - she may sound endearing with her gabbling but she has to sell her personality as well as the industry is fickle - Gareth Gates may have won pop idol if he didn't have his stammer.
By Liz.. Posted November 5 2009 at 8:44 PM.
I like stacey she seems really down to earth i dont think she is fake at all i dont think she could pretend to be fake, she is funny, she has a beautiful voice she is gorgeous, she has a beautiful little boy, people are giving her hassle about not looking after her son but if you had a chance to give your children/family a better life wouldnt you do it? i have a 22month old and if i thought i could make millons i wouldnt think twice, whether shje wins or not she has made there life now, good for her!!! we call people on benefits and now were calling people for going out there to make money lol i hope she does win but i also like Ollie!
By Jenna-Leigh.. Posted November 4 2009 at 5:05 PM.
Cant believe some of the nasty comments. I live in Dagenham and Stacey is a typical Dagenham girl, what you see is what you get. Well done Stacey, you have made us Dagenhamites so proud of you. You are a beautiful young lady with a beautiful voice. I wish you all the very best of luck to you and your family.
By sue.. Posted November 3 2009 at 8:24 AM.
I think its obvious stacey is genuine, she answers anything instantly with what she thinks, its not tutored, or planned, which is hard to fake (eg. 'nah I hate coffee, I think it stinks' - unrehearsed, pure comical stacey). If shes faking then she deserves to win for being a calculating genius on the scale of a bond villain.
By Rab.. Posted November 1 2009 at 3:52 AM.
You may find the character she portrays herself to be on television endearing, but if you've never met Stacey, how can you say she's 100% genuine?
You lot only get to see a few short clips each week that the production team have picked out to show. Seriously, watching those clips DOES NOT mean you know what her personality is really like!
She plays up on her insecurites so much in an effort to make herself seem like "the girl next door" - it's pathetic.
By Jay.. Posted October 31 2009 at 11:10 PM.
Talent, maybe, but what personality????? And all that gabbling and wittering!!!! Whether she's a single mum or not is beside the point.
By Marilyn.. Posted October 31 2009 at 1:22 PM.
Stacey is so fake i can't believe that so many people can't see it. This ditzy, im so daft and innocent image, what a load of rubbish. I bet if she does win, which by the way she is n't in the top three, her personality would totally change. Oh and anyone who replies saying your only jealous, Ive never claimed to be able to sing and am not fame hungry.
By kevin oreilly.. Posted October 24 2009 at 10:07 PM.
Good on Stacey for not wanting to talk about her private life.
It's the media and society that make peoples stories into what they think the public want to really hear.
Newspaper reporters were slated on radio one news last week about this!
It's all in the wording and everyone believes it!!
Stacey is genuine and people don't want to believe a person like that exists.
She hasn't played up on any card, she's say's it how things are - she's single and she's a Mum; What else does she need to tell people?!
And she has chosen not to talk about Dean, or their life - good on her. It doesn't mean that she's making out he doens't exist or help in anyway.
It's just sensible!
Everyone deserves a chance with anything in life, whether you have a kid, another dependent or disability - not everyone is the same - why can't she apply for X factor because she has a kid?
And she goes to college full time in which she can't have a baby in the class room, but is she so wrong for going?!!
And if the Dad is helping whilst she is on Xfactor then better still - it's no different to other husbands and wives that have entered on Xfactor and no one has moaned about them leaving the kids at home!
Just because Dean and Stacey aren't together and she refuses to talk about her 'family' life and situation, it doesn't make her fake or coniving!
It's just easy to say Zac is at home with 'Mum' and family. And good girl Stace - it shows you're not dappy like people make out you are.
What a great opportunity for such a lovely girl - go get 'em stacey. 1 vote from me. 1 vote from hubby too!
By Beverley.. Posted October 20 2009 at 10:12 PM.
omg, stacey is soo fake, dean has the baby all the time shes just playing the single mum card but she doesnt need to because she has a good voice anyway, and shes funny too, she doesnt need to drag deans name through the mud
By lily.. Posted October 17 2009 at 10:22 PM.
Stacey has changed her look for the worst. She is a beautifull young girl and doesnt need all the make up or the false eyelashes . So hopefully she will go back to the way she was when she forst auditioned her voice is fantastic but as I am from Glasgow im rooting for Ricky but good luck Stacey.
By K.MELLON.. Posted October 11 2009 at 3:02 PM.
Stacey to win...(Definately in the final 3) she has bags of personality and is soooo genuine, which is half of it, the other half is that she can sing brilliantly, the girl needs a break and lets hope X FACTOR will give it to her....she is sooooo lovely and genuine, obviously an absolute delight to the producers, where they are no doubt telling others to shine through with personality, Stacey has more personality on her little finger than most of them on the show....GO GIRLIE GO...I AM BACKING YOU ALL THE WAY.......
By Dee Davey.. Posted October 11 2009 at 8:10 AM.
I love Stacey, I am originally from Romford but her personality is wicked, she makes me laugh and is very talented and 100% genuine -x-
By nici.. Posted October 11 2009 at 3:50 AM.
Stacey is amazing, really genuine. Fave to win the show <3
By Skot.. Posted October 11 2009 at 12:38 AM.