For anyone wondering just how close to the truth the Real Housewives of Cheshire actually is, we can confirm that what you see is what you get.
Following on from the explosive finale of series eight which saw the cast divided into two separate camps following a series of rows, it seems that nothing much has changed for the women.
Well, except for the fact that they’re now in three groups, and had to be chaperoned down on the train so that they didn’t kick off at each other.
When we met with the stars of the ITVBe show, just three episodes had been filmed - and already there had been a 'plate throwing at a head' incident.
In one camp we have Dawn Ward with Ester Dee. The pair have joined forces and become thick as thieves - so much so that Ester has moved in with the Wards.
In the second group we have Hanna Miraftab, who was in shock after having her first argument with former bestie Dawn, as well as Seema Malhotra and Rachel Lugo.
The third alliance is made up of Tanya Bardsley and Perla Navia - and the pair were brimming with gossip as we sat down for a chat.
“Take a deep breath,” began Tanya. “We have filmed three episodes and last night's was quite explosive. Ester tried to chuck a plate at Rachel’s head.
“Then I had to drag Perla out to stop her and Dawn going for each other.
“It was like Jeremy Kyle with handbags.”
You’re not wrong there.
Ahead of the new series starting on Monday, here’s the lowdown on what you need to know about everyone’s favourite Cheshire housewives.
Perla’s incredible story
Yoga instructor Perla joined RHOC in series eight, and straight away ruffled a few feathers (all of them Dawn’s) with her no-nonsense, direct approach.
But behind the confident exterior, Perla - who has slimmed down from a size 16 to a six - has kept hidden the tragic story of her family in Colombia - but now she feels ready to open up a little.
She revealed the heartache of watching a member of her family attempt to commit suicide - before her brother took his own life three months' later.
“My terrible experience from my childhood to my teenage years - they were normal to me, she explained.
“My life - that was normal. I was surviving in trauma. But when my life became happy and I had a family and I am in love, am driving a Porsche, then the self-sabotage happens.
“Because everything in my life has been sabotaged, because I didn’t have my own voice.”
Has Rachel Lugo split from her husband?
Last series we saw John Lugo in a couple of awkward positions. Once when he admitted his yoga teacher, Perla, was attractive, and a second time while shopping with Ester and he was snapped putting a garter on her leg.
Poor Rachel, who was feeling low after worrying her ‘wonky’ boob job had ruptured, went on to have a ‘mummy makeover’ - and if ever she could show him was he was missing, it was then.
But sadly a cryptic message about 'cheating' appeared on her Instagram, sparking rumours about the marriage.
As expected, Rachel was visibly upset when talking about it, but admitted that they are 'trying to find a way forward'.
“I think marriages are tough and take a lot of working out,” she said. “Show me a marriage that doesn't have problems.
“I am in a position where I didn’t think I ever would be, but we are trying to work out what we're going to do and make sure we put the kids first.
“At the moment, it will be spoken about because that's what is happening in my life, but we're just trying to find a way forward.”
Dawn has a new house guest
Last series she moved in her in-laws, and now Dawn’s moved in new bestie Ester Dee.
The pair have been inseparable since the fallout of last year’s arguments - and Dawn, who loves nothing more than looking after her friends, invited her to live in her Cheshire mansion.
She said: “So Ester was feeling a bit down at Christmas. I was very concerned about her, she was in a bad place. So I invited her over for dinner and we sat chatting for hours.
“Ester is quite a sensitive person, she does an awful lot for everyone else and not for herself. She looks after her mum quite a lot, and her daughter, she doesn't really have anyone to lean on, so I invited her to move into Warford Hall.”
Ester was delighted with the arrangement, saying that Dawn is 'like a guardian angel'.
“There's a lot of show that doesn't need to be done from my insecurities,” she explained. “I think the most quiet ones are often the loudest, and the times when I do shut the bathroom door and cry, or go in the car and say 'f*k!' and put a song on loud.”
Hanna’s bust up with Dawn
Dawn took Hanna under her wing when the cosmetic dentist joined the team in series eight.
And the mum-of-four even ended up falling out with Tanya over their friendship.
But it looks like their alliance has hit a bump in the road - and Hanna’s devastated.
She said: “We have a bit of a fall out which I don't think anyone saw coming, it's a massive curveball. But I think the friendships I have created are great.
“I think we will be alright. We grounded our relationship early on and I absolutely love Dawn so it's actually quite horrible falling out with her.”
How Seema conquered the menopause
As revealed by the M.E.N. earlier this week, Seema has spoken out about her experience of going through the change, and therapies she has tried to overcome symptoms including memory loss and hot flushes.
She said: “I am still getting hot flushes, but I feel much better now.
“I didn't want to take HRT because of the myth that you get breast cancer but as I am learning more and more, I have realised I am going to take it if it works for me.
“You will see on the show I am having some alternative treatments, acupuncture where they put needles all over me, that actually really helped, I had a good night's sleep.
“Women just need to find what works best for them.”
Tanya’s depression
A big part of last series was Tanya’s candid reveal about how she struggled with depression.
She confided in co-star Christine McGuinness, wife of Paddy, saying she'd been prescribed the medication after having postnatal depression but had stopped them without consulting a doctor.
“It wasn't planned or anything, it just happened,” she explained.
“I felt fine so I just came off them and oh my god - the symptoms. I was feeling dizzy, the floor kept moving, I gave myself clinically induced depression - all from just stopping talking tablets.
“Before the mental part came it was the physical, I thought I had vertigo. The next thing I found out it was all related.”
Where's Lauren Simon?
Notably absent from this year's series is everyone's favourite redhead, Lauren Simon.
Lauren, one of the original housewives, who has been in the show since it began in 2015, has been confirmed as not appearing this time.
Dawn told us: “Lauren's an amazing person, I am missing her to bits," she said. "I speak to her daily but she has other commitments at the minute that she needs to concentrate on.
“She will be sadly missed, but I am sure we haven't seen the last of Lauren.”
The Real Housewives of Cheshire series nine launches on Monday, March 25 from 10pm on ITVBe.
