Stacey Solomon fumes at 'biggest lie' after shoppers accuse her of queue-jumping at Pokémon 30th anniversary launch

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Stacey Solomon has angrily rejected accusations that she and husband Joe Swash were given VIP treatment at Geek Retreat Chelmsford during Wednesday's Pokémon Trading Card Game 30th anniversary release. The X account @WeLovePokemon claimed the celebrity couple parked outside the shop in breach of store rules, pushed in ahead of waiting customers and purchased most of the limited stock, leaving around ten items for more than 200 people in the queue. Solomon said they waited in line alongside everyone else, stayed within the same purchase limit applied to all customers, and had already made unsuccessful attempts that morning at a Waterstones and a Smyths. The store supported her version of events, publishing a Facebook statement in which it denied giving any celebrity preferential treatment.

Solomon described the allegations as the 'biggest lie' and warned the claims were causing unfair damage to the small business.

Geek Retreat Chelmsford confirmed a strict one-item-per-customer limit was in place for the highly anticipated anniversary release.

Angry shoppers left negative reviews targeting the store despite its public denial of any queue-jumping or preferential treatment.