You can tell a new series of Real Housewives of Cheshire is on the horizon, as show veteran Rachel Lugo has started to drip feed teasers and show tea to her 296k Instagram followers.
Not only did the Cheshire queen recently reveal that filming for series 17 starts in three weeks time (which now means it starts in two weeks time – woop woop), but she recently did an Instagram Live with with her twin sister, Katie Kane, during which she spilled some major tea over three juicy hours (and a few glasses of what we're certain was top notch vino).
During the lengthy live with her fans, Rachel answered an array of questions about her private life (you nosy parkers) as well as The Real Housewives of Cheshire, the ITVBe reality show that made her a household name.
In addition to revealing that she had no clue which of the Housewives were taking part in series 17 of the reality series, and how she's keeping her fingers crossed for a Dawn Ward return, Rachel also spoke out about how things are with her ex partner, Nick.
Fans will remember that Rachel's relationship with Nick was filmed on its final legs during series 16, resulting in the Housewife later confirming via her Instagram story that they had split after two and a half years together, and some - frankly - wild scenes with Hanna Kinsella.
In scenes that had to be seen to be believed, Nick was seen storming off from a Cheshire gala, claiming that Rachel wasn't giving him enough attention.
Hanna followed to make sure Nick was okay. Audio was then played in which Hanna (seemingly) advised Nick to walk away from the relationship. Then, on film, Hanna went back to comfort Rachel and retold the story, well, somewhat differently.
It was iNCREDIBLE.
In March 2023, shortly after series 16 wrapped, Rachel released the following statement, "Nick and I met during COVID, during lockdown, and it was always a concern of mine when there's going to be a big imbalance in a relationship; when someone works – and I work a lot – and Nick doesn't work, so he can do everything that I have to do outside of work. There were other issues."
She added, "I don't know why he said he hadn't seen me for three months – that was nonsense. And I don't know why he said he hadn't seen me all night, because we spent three hours together before I even went [to the gala].
"Nick and I had a great two and a half years. Brilliant, so I'm not going to say anything negative at all."
Fast forward to summer 2023 and it appears that not only are Rachel and Nick now back in touch, but they've met face-to-face recently; and naturally, fans are jumping to all sorts of conclusions. Addressing the Nick rumours online, Rachel revealed that her ex did attend the christening of her granddaughter, Saskia, last month, and that they "still talk."
Rachel revealed, "[Nick] was at the party at the house. So, yes, he was [at the christening]. We still talk. I know you all want the answer to this. I just need to sort my head out. I don’t know what else to say to you all. I know you’re all wishing me happily ever after, marriage, and wearing white…can I? No."
So the question now is, will Nick be appearing on The Real Housewives of Cheshire when filming begins later this month and will their romance be rekindled on screen?