Ulrika Jonsson defends Stacey Solomon: 'What matters is we’re good mothers’

Ulrika Jonsson says she and Stacey Solomon love their children "more than anything in the world"

Ulrika Jonsson has defended Stacey Solomon after an Instagram user criticised her for having three sons by different fathers.

Last week, the user told Solomon: "It must be very sad having three different dads for your boys. Always apart."

She replied that her children "are the best thing that ever happened to me".

Now Jonsson, once nicknamed "4x4" for having four children with four different men, has said "all that matters is we're good mothers".

"We chose to have our children - we longed for them, regardless of the circumstances of their creation," Jonsson wrote in a column for The Sun.

"We love them more than anything in the world. And we both nurture our children, keep them by our sides, care for and pay for them. We did not sow our seeds and disappear.

"We chose to take responsibility, to carry these creations in our own arms, sometimes with the assistance of others, sometimes on our own."

Ulrika Jonsson recalls feeling hurt by Jack Whitehall's joke when she won Celebrity Big Brother

"I fail to see the issue with that. My children see themselves as whole siblings and are better adjusted than many other children I know."

TV and radio personality Jonsson said she was "stumped by the injustice" of her nickname and it was ultimately intended to "hurt and, above all, to shame a woman" and that there were double standards as men are not criticised in the same way.

Jonsson had her son Cameron, 26, with her first husband John Turnball followed by daughter Bo, 21, with Markus Kempen.

She had her daughter Martha, 16, with ex-husband Lance Gerrard-Wright and her fourth child, Malcolm, 12, with Brian Monet.

She said she had always felt maternal and does not look at the end of any of her relationships as failures, noting she still shares the parenting of Malcolm with Monet.

In her column she also clarified that she is "now actually a 4x3, as my second child was legally adopted by my ex-husband".

Stacey Solomon with sons Rex and Leighton

A particularly painful moment she said had been when an unnamed panellist on Loose Women said: "It must be like Euston Station at her house with all the kids coming and going."

Jonsson said the comment had "burned", but that she was however then defended by panellist Jane McDonald.

Another occasion she picks out is when Jack Whitehall made a "4x4" joke at her after she won Celebrity Big Brother in 2009.

"While I acknowledged the immaturity of Mr Whitehall and that his comment was just that, at that point I realised that would for ever be my mantle," she said.

'The best thing'

Last week, Loose Women star and former X Factor contestant Solomon wrote on her Instagram story that she was missing "the big pickles" after they decided they wanted to stay longer at their dads' houses.

Solomon was referring to Zachary, 12, and eight-year-old Leighton from previous relationships. She also has a son Rex with fiancé Joe Swash.

"I do get sad when they don't want to come home, but I know how happy it will make their dads and I never want to stop them from having the chance to make memories with their family," Solomon said.

Stacey Solomon with her partner Joe Swash

"But oh my gosh I miss them. It's lovely for a couple of days, less mess, less noise, but then the house just feels so empty and Rex looks for them everywhere."

She then received a comment saying: "It must be very sad having three different dads for your boys. Always apart. Oh well, I suppose you are happy about it."

Solomon cropped the user's name and profile picture out of her response, and wrote: "Woah there Wilma, it's far too early for that kind of judgement and of course I am happy about it!

"They are the best thing that ever happened to me, no matter how they happened to me."

She added: "Never let anyone make you feel like you're not good enough just because things happened to work out differently from the 'norm'.

"Keep doing you the best way you know how. Unconditional love from anywhere in different shapes and sizes is all they'll ever need."

In her column, Jonsson concluded by saying: "I stand tall and proud with Ms Solomon."

Then suggesting that those who chose to judge others should perhaps look at their own lives, she added: "My head is held high by the stunning creatures I created - with or without the support of others."