The Real Housewives of Cheshire (abbreviated RHOCheshire) is a British reality television programme that premiered on ITVBe, on January 12, 2015. Developed as the first British installment in The Real Housewives franchise, it is currently airing its seventeenth series and focuses on the personal and professional lives of several women living in or around Cheshire, England.
The most recent season’s cast consists of: Lauren Simon, Seema Malhotra, Rachel Lugo, Nicole Sealey, Lystra Adams, Sheena Lynch, Paige Chohan and Ellie Egar. Original stars, Tanya Bardsley and Ampika Pickston, are joining the current cast in recurring capacities.
Overview and Casting[]
Series 1–4[]
On September 22, 2014, ITV announced the cast for Britain's first The Real Housewives installment, The Real Housewives of Cheshire. Starring Ampika Pickston, Dawn Ward, Lauren Simon, Leanne Brown, Magali Gorré and Tanya Bardsley, the series follows the cast's intertwining and fast lives in the rich communities of Cheshire and Greater Manchester. ITV had planned to profile the glamorous denizens of London's Knightsbridge in the series, but ITV bosses said "their homes weren't quite big enough", and so Cheshire was chosen. The ten-episode series premiered on January 12, 2015 and spanned ten episodes while concluding on March 16, 2015.
After the success of the first series, with the premiere becoming ITVBe's second highest rated programme ever behind The Only Way Is Essex, on April 27, 2015, it was announced that a second series had been commissioned, with filming to begin in May 2015. The ten-part series aired from September 7, 2015 until November 9, 2015, with the cast from the first series all returning. Chantelle Heskey joined the cast as a ‘Friend of the Housewives’ (in a recurring capacity).
On March 1, 2016, it was announced that Gorré would be departing the series to focus on her family after a tough previous year that saw her father pass away and her having to deal with various family illnesses; although a return in future was not ruled out. Three days later, the network announced that Ward, Simon, Pickston, Brown and Bardsley would all be returning for a third series along with three new main cast members, Missé Beqiri, Seema Malhotra and Stacey Forsey - increasing the cast size from six to eight. Heskey didn’t return in her recurring role but would be credited as a ‘Guest’ in this series and the next. The third series premiered on April 4, 2016. Three weeks later, Bardsley confirmed that the third series would have an additional episode (increasing the series episode count to eleven) and this extra episode would be a Reunion Special, a first since the show's inception. On May 19, 2016, it was announced that Irish television presenter, Brian Dowling, would be hosting the Reunion Show. The reunion was filmed at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire in late May and aired on June 13, 2016, concluding the third series.
On June 8, 2016, a week before the airing of the reunion for the third series, it was announced that the show would be returning for a fourth series. It was also revealed that all the main cast from the third series would be returning. Filming for the eleven-part fourth series commenced on July 1, 2016, and the following month, a small teaser was broadcast on ITVBe that revealed the fourth series would premiere on September 5, 2016. The fourth series' Reunion was filmed at the same location as the third series' reunion, at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire. The Reunion aired on November 8, 2016.
Series 5–8[]
On January 3, 2017, it was announced that the show had been renewed for both a fifth and sixth series, with both set to air in 2017. Filming for the fifth series began in late January. On February 13, 2017, it was revealed that the fifth series would premiere on March 27, 2017. It was also announced that Beqiri would not be returning in a main role, in order to allow her to take a step back and focus on her relationship but would appear in a recurring capacity instead. Former main cast member, Gorré, commented on the upcoming series, stating "I have heard there is a new cast member and she is more Geordie Shore than Golden Triangle." On March 21, 2017, Ester Dohnalová, was announced to be the new main cast member for the fifth series. Subsequently, on April 28, 2017, Beqiri announced the fifth series would be her last. The fifth series’ eleventh episode was not a Reunion Show, but instead featured Host, Dowling, visiting the Housewives' homes in a special, titled: "At Home With The Real Housewives of Cheshire".
On July 9, 2017, Simon exclusively revealed that filming for the sixth series had begun. Later that month, original main cast member, Pickston, announced her departure from the show after five series. It was exclusively announced on an ITVBe advert that two new stars would be joining the show, alongside the returning seven main cast members. The sixth series premiered on September 11, 2017, with Rachel Lugo and Nermina Pieters-Mekic joining the cast. Lugo's identical twin sister, Katie Kane, appeared in a recurring capacity, whilst the cast filmed in Gibraltar. This series marked a franchise first where the main cast included nine main cast members. Additionally, the eleventh episode reverted back to a Reunion Show; hosted by Dowling, after taking a series break.
On February 10, 2018, Brown confirmed her exit from the show, ahead of the seventh season, due to her ongoing legal battle with former co-star, Ward. She stated her intention to never appear on the show again, something she later retracted and ended up going back on, as she appeared in fourteenth season of the show, as a ‘Guest’. Brown's departure marked the third of six original main cast members to leave the show from the original line-up, leaving Bardsley, Simon and Ward remaining. The first clip for the seventh series was revealed on ITV stating that the show will be back in March, confirming the return of the remaining stars as well as a ‘Guest Appearance’ from Kane; taking the number of main cast members back down from nine to eight. On February 28, 2018, it was revealed that Christine McGuinness, the wife of Paddy McGuinness (at the time) would be joining the show for the seventh series. Upon the series premiere (that aired on March 26, 2018), it was announced that her appearance would be in a recurring capacity. The seventh series’ eleventh episode was a Reunion Special which took place at Manchester Hall; the first to be filmed in a new location in the show's history, and aired on May 29, 2018.
At the end of the seventh series' Reunion, Host. Dowling, confirmed that the show would return for an eighth series. On July 27, 2018, it was revealed that both Forsey and Pieters-Mekic would not be returning as main cast members for the eighth season but would feature as ’Friends of the Housewives’’ instead. On August 1, 2018, the cast of the eighth series was revealed, introducing new stars, Hanna Kinsella and Perla Navia. The series premiere was on September 10, 2018 and conclusion on November 13, 2018. The series’ eleventh episode was once again a Reunion Show.
Series 9–12[]
On March 19, 2019, a ninth series was confirmed to be premiering the following week, with all the main cast members returning from the previous series, with the exception of original star, Simon, citing her intention to focus on her two girls amid her ongoing divorce, from husband, Paul Simon. This took the number of main cast members down from eight to seven. The series premiered on March 25, 2019 and concluded on May 28, 2019; featuring the traditional eleventh episode Reunion Special.
On August 2. 2019, the cast of the tenth series was confirmed, with all main cast members returning from the previous series, with the addition of Leilani Dowding; while McGuiness and Pieters-Mekic would return in cameos. Taking the main cast member count back up from seven to eight, the tenth series also moved from the regular ten o'clock timeslot, to the peak time position of nine o'clock. There was a special episode to mark a milestone one hundredth episode, which included all current main cast members as well as features from former main cast members, Brown, Gorré, Simon, and Forsey. The twelve-part series premiered on September 9, 2019 and concluded on November 12, 2019; featuring its typical Reunion Special. On January 13, 2020, Dowding confirmed she would not be returning to the series after one season on Instagram.
On January 26, 2020, it was announced that Simon would be returning to the series, following a two-series hiatus. On March 4, 2020, it was announced that the eleventh series would premiere in March, with Navia announcing her departure from the series after three series. The eleventh series was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but on April 7, 2020, it was announced that the upcoming series would premiere on April 20, 2020, with Nicole Sealey joining the cast but that the series would feature only eight episodes, rather than the traditional eleven. A virtual reunion was held to review the season; airing June 8, 2020.
In August 2020, Dohnalová announced her departure from the series after filming the first two episodes of the twelfth season. That same month, longtime ’Friend of the Housewives’, Christine McGuinness, also announced that she had quit the series. On 30 September 2020, it was announced that twelfth season would begin airing on October 12, 2020, with new star, Lystra Adams, joining the group, during the third episode of the series. The eleven-part series concluded on December 19, 2020, but held no Reunion Special.
On December 11, 2020, original star, Ward, announced her departure from the series while confirming the series would continue with another season. She cited that she wished to spend more time with her family and said that the pandemic had offered her time to reflect on this decision.
Series 13–16[]
Filming for thirteenth season commenced on March 1, 2021. On April 28, 2021, it was announced that all of the main cast members from the twelfth season, with the exception of Ward, would be returning, alongside new star and psychic, Deborah Davies. Dohnalova was announced to make sporadic appearances throughout this season. The ten-part series did not feature a Reunion Special but premiered on May 10, 2021 and concluded on July 12, 2021.
Filming for the fourteenth series commenced on August 4, 2021. Two weeks later, it was announced that original cast member, Brown, would be returning as a ‘Guest’ for the first time since leaving the show following the sixth season. On 27 September 2021, it was confirmed that all the main cast members would be returning for the fourteenth season, along with the addition of Sheena Lynch - taking the total of main cast members back up from eight to nine (the second time for the installment). The twelve-part series premiered on October 11, 2021 and ended on December 21, 2021; featuring a Reunion Special. On November 11, 2021, following little appearance on the fourteenth season, Bardsley announced she had quit the show after almost seven years. In January 2022, Davies announced on her Instagram that she was to leave the show to pursue upcoming projects.
The Real Housewives and The Menopause was commissioned by the network and aired on August 8, 2022 and August 9, 2022; just two weeks ahead of the fifteenth series. It featured all seven returning main cast members (bar Kinsella) as they tackled the taboo topic of menopause.
The fifteenth season premiered on August 22, 2022, on a delayed schedule, in comparison to previous years. The series concluded on October 31, 2022. Katie Alex was introduced as a series regular with Karen Loderick of The Real Housewives of Jersey and Ashley Stobart joining as ‘Friends of the Housewives’. Pieters-Mekic and Kane made cameos throughout the season. During the eleventh episode (Reunion Special), the sixteenth season was confirmed to have been ordered.
Following the Reunion, a spin-off special was announced, titled: Christmas Cruising. Alex was absent from the special, whilst Bardsley and Dohnalová joined the other seven main cast members. The three-parter aired from December 5, 2022 until December 19, 2022.
The sixteenth series premiered on March 20, 2023, with Natasha Hamilton joining the cast alongside new ‘Friend of the Housewives’, Paige Chohan. Bardsley returned, alongside Chohan in a recurring capacity, whilst Alex made a cameo. The series, that followed the traditional eleven-part series featuring a Reunion Special, concluded on May 29, 2023.
Later that year, the two-part special and mini-series, titled: Pride Special, was filmed and later aired in January 2024. Malhotra and Kinsella did not feature in the special, Lynch and Hamilton only filmed one scene for the special while Simon, Lugo, Sealey and Adam’s weee joined by former stars of the show, Bardsley, Pickston and Dohnalova. After the airing of the special, it was announced that Kinsella and Hamilton had left the show.
Series 17-Present[]
Filming for the seventeenth edition begun in January 2024 and the series begun airing on March 25, 2024. It was revealed that two new main cast members were being added to the cast, former ‘Friend of the Housewives’, Chohan and fashion influencer, Elle Egar. The series also featured Bardsley and Pickston in recurring capacities whilst Kinsella and Kane are set to make cameos.
Main Series’ Cast History[]
| Housewives | Seasons | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | |
| Tanya Bardsley | Main | Friend | |||||||||||||||
| Leanne Brown | Main | Guest | |||||||||||||||
| Magali Gorré | Main | ||||||||||||||||
| Ampika Pickston | Main | Friend | |||||||||||||||
| Lauren Simon | Main | Main | |||||||||||||||
| Dawn Ward | Main | ||||||||||||||||
| Missé Beqiri | Main | Friend | |||||||||||||||
| Stacey Forsey | Guest | Main | Friend | ||||||||||||||
| Seema Malhotra | Main | ||||||||||||||||
| Ester Dohnalova | Guest | Main | Friend | ||||||||||||||
| Rachel Lugo | Main | ||||||||||||||||
| Nermina Pieters-Mekic | Guest | Main | Friend | Guest | Guest | ||||||||||||
| Hanna Kinsella | Guest | Main | Guest | ||||||||||||||
| Perla Navia | Main | ||||||||||||||||
| Leilani Dowding | Main | ||||||||||||||||
| Nicole Sealey | Main | ||||||||||||||||
| Lystra Adams | Guest | Guest | Main | ||||||||||||||
| Deborah Davies | Main | ||||||||||||||||
| Sheena Lynch | Main | ||||||||||||||||
| Katie Alex | Main | Guest | |||||||||||||||
| Natasha Hamilton | Main | ||||||||||||||||
| Paige Chohan | Guest | Friend | Main | ||||||||||||||
| Ellie Egar | Main | ||||||||||||||||
Specials’ Cast History[]
| Housewives | Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Housewives and the Menopause | Christmas Cruising | Pride Special | |
| Lystra Adams | Main | ||
| Rachel Lugo | Main | ||
| Sheena Lynch | Main | Guest | |
| Seema Malhotra | Main | ||
| Nicole Sealey | Main | ||
| Lauren Simon | Main | ||
| Ester Dohnalova | Main | ||
| Hanna Kinsella | Main | ||
| Tanya Bardsley | Friend | Main | |
| Ampika Pickston | Main | ||
| Natasha Hamilton | Guest | ||
Episode Guide[]
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