We've been writing about The Real Housewives of Cheshire since it first launched on ITV ten years ago and we've never wavered in our cheerleading; the dinner parties, the walkouts, the rows, the glam, the gowns, the decadence, the DRAMA – we're here for all of it. But above all of that, we're here for the genuine friendships.
Some of you may roll your eyes at that, but centre them immediately, because we've got to know a fair few of these ladies over the years and we can confirm that this show is held together by equal parts juicy drama and some truly strong female friendships.
Yes, okay, like all friends they might not get along all the time, but these women have each other's backs when it really matters and we genuinely love to see it on and off screen.
As is the territory with reality television, the cast are portraying both the good and the bad parts of their day-to-day on television for all to see, and time and time again we've seen our Housewives band together when the bad stuff inevitably rears its head. Take Lystra Adams' recent split from girlfriend Ashley, for example...
Lystra made it clear that her emotional split from girlfriend Ashley (who she went public with in March 2023) would play out on series 18 of The Real Housewives of Cheshire when she confirmed the news in a teary Instagram post 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.’
Since stressing that the intimate details of the split would unfold on The Real Housewives of Cheshire, Lystra has remained fairly tight-lipped about it, so naturally, when we caught up with one of Lystra's closest co-stars, Ell Egar, we simply had to ask how her friend was doing a couple of months on.
And as we expected, Ell confirmed that the cast have had her back unconditionally throughout this emotional time. She also revealed that fans should expect to see a different, 'more vulnerable' side to Lystra this series.
Ell revealed, 'I definitely think this season you're going to see a softer, more vulnerable side to Lystra. I think in past seasons you've maybe seen a more fiery side to her. She really opens up and she's so vulnerable with the break-up and she really, kind of, lets the audience into that.'
She continued, 'It's real life, it's what she's dealing with day-to-day. She's really honest and open about it and I think it's quite nice and refreshing to see that side of her. And I think it's nice that she feels comfortable within the group to do that. We're always there to support her, do you know what I mean? We're all a big, close-knit of girls really at the end of the day that have ups and downs, but there's a lot of support there. I think she's felt that with all of us.'
Queens supporting queens ❤️
In the same exclusive chat, Ell also revealed where she stands with Nicole Sealey, following her latest on-screen altercation with her and shared all her juicy beauty and influencer secrets with us.
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Ben Pulsford is a digital writer for Bauer Media and hosts comedy podcast Spill The Fizz with The Traitor's Diane Carson. 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 💅