As much as our bodies and souls are crying out for new episodes of The Real Housewives of Cheshire, we can't lie, we're a little apprehensive for one key series 18 storyline to play out on our screens – Lystra Adams' surprise relationship breakdown.
Mainly because we simply adore this telly queen – and her former girlfriend, Ashley, for that matter – and the thought of watching her suffering on our screens this year actually breaks our hearts.
We like our Lystra fiercely storming into parties, calling out bullsh*t and bad behaviour and shooting side eye, but from the looks of things, we're going to see a much more vulnerable and rawer side to the reality star this series.

While the overall contents of the milestone series (series 18 marks ten years of The Real Housewives of Cheshire) are being kept under wraps, we do know that two major storylines will revolve around the girls' trip to Thailand and Lystra's surprise separation from Ashley.
Lystra announced the split in an emotional video posted to her Instagram grid. On Sunday 12 January 2025, she confirmed that she and Ashley 'have decided to end our relationship', but stressed that they still remain 'best of friends'.
In a tearful message, she told her followers, ‘I’m going to make this really quick and you know that I share everything with you guys, whether good or bad or indifferent, so here it is. I’ll start off by saying, for me, I’d rather to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Myself and wifey have decided to end our relationship. We’re not longer together, but we still remain best of friends. Wifey, I love you dearly and, yeah, we still remain friends, but I just wanted to let you guys know that we’re no longer together.’
Earlier this week, Lystra returned to filming with two of her closest co-stars, Ellie Egar and Paige Chohan, who took our queen out for a boujie afternoon tea to take her mind off her recent heartbreak.

Sharing a video on her Instagram grid, Lystra updated her followers, revealing, 'So, as you guys know, obviously, I'm going through my separation with wifey. My girls have been on it. They've decided to bring me out to cheer me up today. We've got a bit of afternoon tea. Yeah, we are actually working, we're filming, having afternoon tea. How good does that look? Obviously, we're on a little break, we've got the cameras over there.'
She continued, 'I just went from crying my eyes out to... I'll be fine, guys.'
OUR. HEARTS.
Before her very first episode of Housewives aired in 2020, Lystra told Closer online, 'I am free, single and disengaged.'
Lystra was looking for love and said that she would want anyone she is interested in to be a part of the show.

She said, 'If I find [a partner], you will know. I want you to see my love life and the progression of it and where it goes.'
That transpired when she went public with Ashley in March 2023.
We genuinely wish Lystra and Ashley all the best, and remind social media users and fans of the show to be kind and respect that breakups are never easy, even the amicable ones.
WATCH: It looks like we can expect some new cast members on the Real Housewives of Cheshire just in time for the 10th anniversary as Tanya Bardsley and Lauren Simon have spilled the tea on series 18
Ben Pulsford is a digital writer for Bauer Media, writing for both Closer online and heatworld. When he's not getting paid to gossip about TOWIE, Love Island and The Real Housewives of Cheshire, he's storming the London LGBTQ+ scene as drag queen, Beary Poppins. Both Ben and Beary are awaiting an invite to join The Real Housewives of Cheshire for series 18. The budget's not there, but the drama is 💅.