Curse of Real Housewives of Cheshire – from wife’s restraining order against Towie star to assault over ‘affair’ gossip
IT'S the reality show which makes the US soap opera it was inspired by look tame.
The Real Housewives of Cheshire follows the lives of some of the wealthiest women in the area's 'Golden Triangle' - many of which have gobs to match the size of their bank balances.
Having run for 14 series, the show - and its stars - have seen their fair share of scandal.
Just this week it emerged Lauren Simon is being sued by a finance company for reportedly "colluding" with her millionaire ex hubby Paul to avoid shelling out for their £1million divorce bill.
Meanwhile Dawn Ward - married to ex-Premier League footballer Ashley Ward - broke down in tears after she was cleared of hurling anti-Semitic abuse on a boozy night out.
It's certainly all going on in Cheshire - here we take a look at the dramas that have plagued the Real Housewives both on and off the screen.
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Restraining order against Towie star
Model Misse Beqiri, 35, joined the third series of RHOC in 2016.
She announced her separation from her Manchester United goalkeeper hubby Anders Lindegaard, with whom she shares a son, later that year, citing "irreconcilable differences".
She discussed "not being in a good place" during their split with co-star Dawn Ward - but it wasn't long before she moved on to Towie star Jake Hall, 28.
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The couple welcomed their daughter River in 2017 and announced their engagement in 2018.
Not long afterwards, Jake - who previously dated Towie's Chloe Lewis - was slapped with a restraining order after the cops were called during a blazing row.
He was banned from contacting her for 28 days, but not charged with any criminal offence.
Split after shocking murder
In November last year it emerged Jake and Misse had secretly split after five years together.
It followed a series of rows after their relationship was rocked by the shocking murder of Misse's brother, Flamur 'Alex' Beqiri, on Christmas Eve in 2019.
Beqiri was shot dead on his doorstep in front of his wife after returning to his £1.5million London home from a family evening out.
The dad-of-two ran a record company in London called 2020rec and led an extravagant lifestyle including holding a lavish Lake Como wedding in October 2018, which Jake and Misse attended.
It transpired he had been involved in the international drugs trade and had been arrested several times in Europe. He was targeted as part of a bloody feud with a rival gang.
In February, Swedish underworld assassin and professional kickboxer, Anis Hemissi, was convicted of his murder.
Sued over divorce
Lauren Simon, 49, shot to fame in 2015 on the debut series of Real Housewives of Cheshire, but left three years later.
The party planner, who has two children with ex Paul, launched her own perfume after the divorce.
The couple split in 2018 after 13 years together, and Lauren was handed a £3m lump sum from the property tycoon.
But Paul won an appeal against the order after claiming they only had £2m between them in assets, with no cash of his own.
In February last year, a consent order was agreed by both sides as Lauren was given the right to live in a £1.8million mansion in Altrincham for life if she dropped all other bids to get Paul's money.
A specialist divorce finance company, Integro Funding Limited (Level), has now claimed the former couple entered a "collusive agreement" to avoid paying a £1m bill Lauren owes them.
They claim they lent the reality star £865,828 to help her fight Paul in court, but the agreement made last year left Lauren with no money of her own to pay the cheque.
Top judges have now agreed to join the company as a party to the divorce case - meaning the exes are being hauled back to the High Court.
'Anti-Semitic attack'
Interior designer Dawn Ward - married to ex-professional footballer Ashley Ward - starred on RHOC for seven years, but left in 2019 and has since moved to Dubai.
Her name was dragged through the mud earlier this year when she was accused of drunkenly hurling racist abuse at two Jewish brothers at London's Euston Station.
Ward, 48, allegedly yelled: "You Jewish c***. Why are you people always complaining? You fat p***k."
The businesswoman, whose pregnant daughter Taylor is married to Man City star Riyad Mahrez, was also allegedly found with cocaine in a cigarette packet.
She was cleared of racially aggravated intentional harassment and possession of cocaine last month, and wept at the verdict.
Nervous breakdown
It wasn't the first scandal to plague Dawn. In 2018 her RHOC co-star Leanne Brown claimed their feud drove her to the point of a nervous breakdown, leading her to quit.
The pair fell out over a row about money, with Leanne previously telling The Sun: "Our friendship has gone down the pan. I won't ever speak to Dawn again. I don't trust her."
Leanne claimed she'd resorted to treatments to recover from the drama, adding: "I've had therapy and I have tried crystal healing. I do meditation as much as I can and have hypnotherapy."
Sad split
Leanne Brown, 45, married ex-Manchester United ace Wes Brown in 2009, but the couple - who were together for more than 20 years - reportedly separated in 2021.
The reality star has removed her wedding ring and Wes, 42, has moved out of the mansion they shared with their three children, daughters Halle, 19, Lilia, 14, and Lola, 11.
Leanne previously spoke about the difficulties of dating a footie star.
She said in 2019: “Yes we’ve got a lovely life and all this money and I’m not saying the money isn’t great, but when you’re in it you’re living in this bubble.
“Although the fans can be amazing they can also be very cruel."
Assault on popstar
Back in 2016, Dawn Ward was found guilty of assaulting 80s pop singer Sinitta during a "storm in a teacup" row at a posh London restaurant.
The argument erupted after Simon Cowell's ex confronted Dawn, accusing her of spreading rumours on Twitter about mutual pal Lizzie Cundy having an affair.
She told the court she was "shocked" and "humiliated" when, she claims, Dawn shoved her and threw a napkin at her, alleging her cheek was "sore and bruised".
She also claimed Dawn threatened to glass her with a champagne flute if she "didn't shut up" - which Dawn denied, insisting she only said she'd throw a drink over her to get her to stop shouting.
It was reported Sinitta then suggested Dawn's husband had cheated on her, to which Dawn hit back by branding her a one-hit wonder.
Despite there being no evidence that Dawn punched Sinitta in the face or chest, and the judge deciding the singer was not a "credible witness", Dawn was sentenced to be bound over to keep the peace for three months.
Dawn said afterwards: "I'm disappointed that the court has found a prod on Sinitta's shoulder to amount to the lowest form of common assault."
Anxiety battle
Tanya Bardsley was a RHOC stalwart, having been on the show from the beginning, but she quit after six years in 2021 following a behind-the-scenes battle with anxiety.
The model, 40, who is married to Burnley defender Phil Bardsley, told how her mental health suffered during lockdown.
In September she worried her family and friends when she collapsed during a shoot due to overworking.
She recently revealed she has ADHD, and this week she announced she's given up booze as it puts her "in a dark place... crippled with anxiety" and makes her depressed.
Tanya told how her hangovers would leave her feeling so awful about herself she would snap at her husband and kids Rocco, 12, Renz, eight, Ralphi, five, and Gabby, 19.
Assault row
Leanne Brown had another epic co-star fall-out with Magali Gorre back in 2019.
She accused Magali - married to former footballer Dean Gorre - of attacking her in a restaurant toilet over a comment made in a reunion show.
Businesswoman Magali, who left RHOC in March 2016, was allegedly upset that Leanne had claimed she "loved a freebie" and referred to her as a "nightmare".
A source claimed Leanne "ran out of the toilets as quickly as she could" after the fight broke out, and called the police.
Cheshire Police told The Sun Online: “At 10.33pm on 24 October Cheshire Police received an allegation of assault which occurred at a restaurant in London Road, Alderley Edge... Officers will be speaking with both parties to establish the circumstances."
Magali has also raged that RHOC was edited to make her look like "an angry black woman".
She was regularly at the centre of drama and rows with other cast members, but alleged that the show "protected certain people".
Sex with a ghost
Lauren Simon hit the headlines again when she claimed she'd had sex with a ghost - twice.
She was visiting a psychic to make contact with her late dad when she dropped the bombshell revelation.
Speaking about her spooky encounter, she said: "I actually properly had sex. I knew it wasn't a dirty dream because it was too real, like something was touching me.
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"And I have had that before where I feel like somebody's holding me down and I can't get up.
"This particular ghost that came and had sex, it happened twice, it was a very bizarre feeling but he never came back."
