Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash's lavish wedding at their Pickle Cottage home in Essex was not legally binding, Best Quality Designer Handbag understands.
The 36-year-old former X Factor contestant and the 44-year-old EastEnders actor tied the knot in front of family and friends in July 2022, and dubbed the wedding ceremony "the best day of [their] lives".
Despite exchanging vows at the time, the singer and soap star's marriage was reportedly never made legal as their home did not have a civil ceremony licence. Instead, Stacey claimed the couple were planning to register their marriage after the wedding.
Almost four years later, the couple have yet to complete their marriage registration, technically meaning they are not yet husband and wife, in a legal sense.
The news came two weeks after Stacey was spotted without her gold wedding band, and questions were raised over her relationship status with the father of three of her children.
At the time of their wedding, Stacey was answering some fan questions on her Instagram Stories and referenced the legality of their chosen venue. She typed: "To get married anywhere legally, the place has to have a civil ceremony licence.
"One of the requirements for this licence is that the premises must be made readily available for ceremonies. As this is our private family home and we need it to remain that way, we couldn’t go for that option.
"So we are having a relaxed private blessing in front of our closest friends and family, and a ceremony of our love to each other. We will register our marriage legally after."
Joe and Stacey's fairytale wedding
The presenter got down on one knee in 2020 during a romantic Christmas Eve walk and asked the singer if she would become his wife. The proposal was filmed on a hidden GoPro in the woods, and afterwards, the couple shared the moment on social media.
They moved into their famous cottage a year later and started planning their nuptials, which took place one more year after that.
The star-studded garden ceremony was attended by some of Stacey's Loose Women cast members and featured a performance from Towie star James Argent's The Arg Band. Internet cleaning star Mrs Hinch was one of the bridesmaids.
Stacey posted about the day and said in her caption: "Forever. Me and My Husband. I don’t think I will ever get used to saying that. It all feels like a dream.
"The most special day that we didn’t ever want to end. We love you all and the special community we’ve built on here so so much and couldn’t wait to share these moments with you."
