Stacey Solomon hits out at "absolute lies" after being accused of 'skipping queue' at Pokémon event

Stacey Solomon has responded to claims she skipped the queue at a Pokémon event in Chelmsford to mark the franchise's 30th anniversary. Solomon attended the Pokémon card release with her husband Joe Swash and her eldest son Zachary.

Taking to Twitter/X, the presenter rejected accusations she skipped the queue and bought up a lot of the cards as "absolute lies" and maintained she joined the queue "like everyone else".

"This is the biggest lie and it's outright disgraceful to put a small business in this position," Solomon wrote in her response.

"We joined the queue like everyone else as soon as it started forming. We were sold the exact same limit as everyone else and they were all opened like everyone else's."

Solomon explained she and her son have been collecting Pokémon cards "for years" and have previously attended similar events.

"In fact, that same morning after the school run I queued in Waterstones and didn't make it to the front before they sold out. And Zachary was queuing in Romford that morning at Smyths from 7am and they had sold out too," she clarified.

"So the absolute lies in this post that are having a negative impact on Geek Retreat Chelmsford are so unwarranted and unfair. They handled the situation so well given what they were dealing with."

Solomon also rejected claims she purchased the cards to then sell them on resale websites.

Meanwhile, the store has weighed in on the controversy, denying they had given "special treatment" to celebrities in attendance.

"We would also like to address the suggestion that certain people, including well-known individuals, were given special treatment today," Geek Retreat Chelmsford posted on Facebook.

"This is simply not true," they added.

"We did not know that any famous people were attending until we saw them outside. They were not allowed in early, they were not given extra stock, and they were subject to exactly the same one of each product per-person limits as everyone else. They happened to be second in the queue when we opened, and no member of our team allowed them to skip the queue."

In a follow-up post, the store reposted Solomon's Twitter/X response.

"Thank you to our loyal customers and community for supporting us and backing us, as you know you are all our priority and we will continue to try our hardest to support you guys and your hobby as always," they wrote.

Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.

The new edition of Legends, a 100-page celebration of Dolly Parton's life, is here. Buy Dolly in newsagents or online.

Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).