From drinks with DiCaprio to £140k shopping sprees – meet 6 fiery Real Housewives of London as city finally joins series

The Irish Sun

a day ago

NEW YORK, Beverly Hills, Dubai and even Cheshire – there are few places the Real Housewives franchise has not been.
And after 19 years on the air, the show is finally coming to London.
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From left: Juliet Mayhew, Amanda Cronin, Karen Loderick-Peace, Nessie Welschinger, Juliet Angus and Panthea Parker
Credit: Getty
It looks like Housewives gold — with six fiery castmates, the claws are out and you can expect a load of bitching, backstabbing, designer wardrobes, filler and out-of-touch elitism.
As cast member Amanda Cronin tells it: 'No cost-of-living crisis here.'
The Bravo franchise first came to Orange County, California in 2006 then hit New York, Atlanta and Miami — making stars of Teresa Giudice, NeNe Leakes, Bethenny Frankel and more.
Since then, it has even spawned versions in Nigeria and Poland.
Bravo tried to crack England with 2014 series Ladies Of London, which then ran for three series, but it was quietly retired after tragedies in the cast.
Noelle Reno left in 2014 after her boyfriend died falling from the balcony of her London flat, and Annabelle Neilson died of a heart attack in 2018.
But now The Real Housewives Of London is go — streamed by Hayu from Monday and promising corking champagne-fuelled feuds in Chelsea and Belgravia.
During the season debut, a dinner to mark International Women's Day ends with, ahem, one of the housewives being called a 'chronic liar and insecure tart'.
From hard partying with Leonardo DiCaprio, to £140,000 shopping sprees, here we profile the cast of the new series . . .
Inside RHOC Season 18 Drama: Shocking Departures and Explosive Feuds
Juliet Mayhew
While her broad Aussie accent may not scream London elite, former actress Juliet is a fixture in wealthy Chelsea.
The 47-year-old grew up in North Queensland until she was 12, when she was sent to a UK boarding school by her British parents.
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Juliet Mayhew grew up in North Queensland until she was 12, when she was sent to a UK boarding school by her British parents
Credit: Getty
She describes herself as a creative director but also lists party organising and selling leather goods on her CV.
Juliet has two teenage children Ophelia and Orlanda - named after Shakespeare characters - with her hedge fund manager Anthony.
Devout christian Juliet has spoken out in the past about how she remained a virgin until she married her husband aged 28.
She counts former Neighbours star Holly Valance - who is divorcing billionaire property tycoon Nick Candy - as a close friend.
She says friend and Ladies of London OG cast member Caroline Stanbury - who once dated Prince Andrew - convinced her to take part in the show.
Karen Loderick-Peace
Karen, 50, might already be a familiar face.
The mum-of-three has already appeared on the show's Jersey and Cheshire series and no doubt knows the drill.
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Karen Loderick-Peace has already appeared on the show's Jersey and Cheshire series and no doubt knows the drill
Credit: Instagram
Married to ex-West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace, whose net worth is an estimated £175million, the couple own two London properties, three UK homes and a private jet to boot.
Their six-storey Belgravia mansion is undergoing a £4.5million renovation including an indoor pool for Karen, who confesses she can't swim.
Born in Jamaica, Karen came to London in her twenties to study fashion and she's put her degree to good use with a wardrobe packed with Roberto Cavalli designer togs.
She said: 'I've always been glamorous, because being from the Caribbean we exude glamour.'
Juliet Angus
As the only Ladies of London cast member to join the RHOLND cast, stylist Juliet can teach the cast a thing or two about drama.
In the 2014 series, she repeatedly clashed with other housewives including an episode where she angrily refused to eat veal calling the meat 'Bambi'.
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Juliet Angus has told how she schmoozed with celebs in Los Angeles before she settled down
Credit: Getty
The Chicago native, 49, has told how she schmoozed with celebs in Los Angeles before she settled down.
Lindsay Lohan is godmother to one of her children, in her twenties dated comedian Bob Saget who died in 2022 and has partied with Leonardo di Caprio.
She said: 'I had a dance-off one time at this club, Joseph's, with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Every night it was a different club.'
But all that changed when she met Canadian media exec husband Gregor and the pair settled down in London in 2011.
As an influencer, Juliet has amassed 330,000 instagram followers and has started her own jewellery line, toting her net worth up to an estimated £4.4million.
Aside from influencing, she's often hosting soirees at her Notting Hill home - often enlisting chefs from sushi restaurant Nobu to do the catering.
Amanda Cronin
Skincare entrepreneur and influencer Amanda, 56, has already designated herself 'queen bee' of the series.
Dubbed 'the longest legs in Belgravia', it's no wonder the Hampshire native was scouted as a model in her youth and ended up partying on Monacan superyachts.
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Amanda Cronin has already designated herself 'queen bee' of the series
Credit: Getty
She landed a reportedly huge settlement from her second husband First Utility boss Mark Daeche in 2019 rumoured to be near the £40million mark.
Following her divorce she dated Wham!'s Andrew Ridgely but the pair went their separate ways in 2023.
Now she lives the high life with a £10million jewellery collection and a Belgravia property portfolio, presumably funded by selling £3,000 facials to her equally elite customers.
And she's no stranger to reality TV - she appeared in Channel 4's the Millionairess and Me in 2022.
Bizarrely, she claims to have never watched the Real Housewives franchise.
Nessie Welschinger
NOT so much a housewife, Nessie is a former investment banker and now a baker to the stars.
Her cakes - which sell for up to £15,000 - are enjoyed by A-Listers and she even whipped up a vanilla cake for Queen Elizabeth II for her 90th birthday.
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Nessie Welschinger is a former investment banker and now a baker to the stars
Credit: Getty
Her company the Chelsea Cake Company counts London hotels Claridges and THe Ritz among her clients.
But she is a relative newcomer to the world of reality TV, having only taken part in Bake Off: The Professionals in 2021.
But the mum-of three is friends with co-star Juliet Angus who may have talked the relatively down-to-earth Nessie round.
The 42-year-old Londoner says she met her husband mining mogul Remy at Limehouse tube station in 2006.
Since then, their life has become decidedly more glamorous with a lavish Chelsea home and a 500-year-old country estate in the Cotswolds to their names.
Panthea Parker
Socialite Panthea flies the flag for retail therapy in the series.
The 51-year-old tells how she took her cheating ex-husband's credit card on a £140,000 shopping spree in one day.
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Panthea Parker flies the flag for retail therapy in the series
Credit: Getty
She said: 'It felt really good.'
Born in Iran, Panthea moved to the UK aged four and grew up in Pimlico.
While some of her wealthy mates may be snobby about her postcode, she boasts that her address meant she could park in front of Harrods.
She partied in posh nightclub Annabel's in the 90s with A-list pals who, she says, have barred her from mentioning them on the show.
Now married to top lawyer Edmund Parker, the couple count former home secretary Suella Braverman as a pal.
In the trailer, she says she will grill King Charles III on Prince Harry's behaviour at a Buckingham Palace garden party before Ed warns her not to.
The mum-of-three says she's a fan of botox and is planning to get a facelift next year.
'London has big heels to fill'
THE Real Housewives Of Cheshire's Lauren Simon, 53, says . . .
"We've bared our souls on Cheshire – divorces, marriages, vow renewals.
London has a lot to live up to but they're going to smash it.
I've met Amanda Cronin – beautiful, feisty, not afraid to marry and divorce as a hobby.
Karen, who once filmed with us, is quietly confident.
I'll never forget watching her eat a fish eye in Malta.
Good luck, London – you've got big heels to fill.'