Stacey Solomon praised for encouraging fans to love their bodies with bikini picture

‘Here’s to another year of loving our bodies no matter how hard society tries to stop us,’ Solomon writes on Instagram

Stacey Solomon has been praised for spreading a message about self-love on Instagram.

On 1 January, the Loose Women panellist shared a photograph of herself with her youngest son, seven-month-old Rex, who she shares with her boyfriend, television presenter Joe Swash.

The picture, which was taken by Solomon’s 11-year-old son Zachary, shows her wearing a bikini and sitting on the side of a swimming pool with her baby on her lap, both of them smiling at the camera.

In the caption, the former X-Factor contestant said she was welcoming the new year with the philosophy “new year, same me”, explaining the pride she feels in her body.

“Why change something that brought me the most happiness I could ever imagine. That brought me the smiley seven month old in the picture and the most amazing 11 year old taking it. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she wrote.

“Here’s to another year of loving our bodies no matter how hard society tries to stop us.”

Several Instagram users commended Solomon for inspiring others to adopt a healthy attitude towards their bodies.

“That you darling I needed to see this today, feeling low and not loving my body right now, but trying to remind myself how lucky I am and that my body is healthy and just a little different when it’s smaller,” one person commented.

“I love you, all day I have looked in the mirror going, ‘Oh god, you need to do something’, but do you know what, I am bloody happy and why should I feel the need to get rid of lumps and bumps. My baby loves me and that’s all that matters,” another remarked.

Someone else explained that she has started to embrace her “extreme stretch marks and wobbly tummy”, after her two pregnancies with her 16-year-old child and 14-year-old twins.

“Without them I wouldn’t have my precious girls,” she added.

Ashley Graham recently opened up about how she has felt about her changing body throughout her pregnancy, saying it hasn’t been an “easy” process for her.

“I feel like we all have complicated relationships with our body,” the model told Grazia.

“Mine has been changing in some new and interesting ways. It hasn’t been easy to embrace my pregnant body, but it’s definitely a reminder of how awesome our bodies truly are.”