The Real Housewives who make Cheshire’s feuding Wags look like pussycats: SARAH RAINEY reveals the tackiest houses, the biggest bust-ups and jaw-dropping moments from the 32 addictive spin-off shows around the world, from Australia to Nigeria

Draped in designer labels, hooked on plastic surgery and partial to the odd wine-fuelled cat fight, their lives are like a rolling soap opera.

But these uber-rich women, with their gaudy mega-mansions and explosive relationships, are not acting: they’re all very – OK, mostly – ‘real’.

They are the ‘Real Housewives’, a global TV phenomenon which originated in America in 2006, and has grown to become one of the most popular franchises ever.

And while you might have heard of, or indeed been gripped by, one or two of them – the Real Housewives of Cheshire is now in its 18th series, and planning a tenth anniversary special, reuniting some old arch enemies with expected fisticuffs – there are, in fact, a staggering 32 spin-off shows around the world, each with their own jaw-dropping storylines. There are ‘Real Housewives’ in Poland, South Africa, Nigeria, Australia – and beyond.

So which are the tackiest Housewives of them all? Where in the world will you find the biggest bust-up? And who’s the international Queen Bee? SARAH RAINEY has the low-down.

Orange County

The original, and longest-running, in the franchise, The Real Housewives of Orange County (RHOC) is currently filming its 19th season in California. Originally called ‘Behind the Gates’, it burst on to US network Bravo in March 2006, and today draws average of 3.1 million viewers per episode with its screaming matches and complicated bed-hopping.

QUEEN BEE: 57-year-old Tamra Judge is the undisputed RHOC queen, having starred in 14 out of 18 series, as well as a 2013 miniseries focusing on her wedding.

Blonde bombshell Tamra, a mum-of-four, documents her glam life on Instagram, where she boasts two million followers.

MOST OPULENT HOUSE: The 22,000-sq ft mansion in Newport Beach, owned by housewife Heather Dubrow, 56, was the most extravagant in RHOC history. Dubbed ‘The Dubrow Chateau’, the property – complete with 14 bedrooms, a swimming pool, its own cinema, a business centre and valet parking – sold in 2023 for £41.5 million.

BIGGEST BUST-UP: In season six, Tamra accused castmate Jeana Keough of speaking to the press about her divorce, before throwing a glass of wine in her face.

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLING: Meghan King and Jim Edmonds, whose five-year marriage was rocked by a sexting scandal and rumours of a threesome. Model Meghan, 40, went on to marry Cuffe Owens, the nephew of former US President Joe Biden, but it lasted just two months.

MOST BIZARRE INCIDENT: Season 10 saw Brooks Ayers, 57, the long-term partner of Vicki Gunvalson, claiming to have stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. However, it was sensationally revealed that Brooks had lied about the cancer, fabricating a diagnosis, medical documents and scans.

Melbourne

Running for five seasons since 2014, The Real Housewives of Melbourne is one of the most successful international versions and has been broadcast in the US and UK as well as Australia. Known for their cat fights, and foul language, the stars have gone on to front daytime TV shows and pen tell-all books.

QUEEN BEE: With her mahogany tan, big hair and OTT opinions, barrister Gina Liano, 57, is the face of the Melbourne franchise. Renowned for her brutal ‘roasts’ of other cast members – one of whom she compared to a ‘prostitute’ – she uses her legal brain to win every argument.

MOST OPULENT HOUSE: Boasting eight bedrooms, 10-hectare gardens and a lake, the country retreat owned by housewife Kyla Kirkpatrick, 45, went on the market last year for £1.3 million.

BIGGEST BUST-UP: Producers were forced to intervene after a fight between Kyla and castmate Janet Roach, 66, spiralled out of control in season five. Janet accused Kyla of lying about lavish trips to Paris, while Janet said Kyla had been feeding ‘false stories’ to fan websites.

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLING: In the season three finale, professional psychic Jackie Gillies, 45 accused hostess and interior Lydia Schiavello, 54, of getting cosy with her husband, shortly after she (Lydia) was linked to cricketer Shane Warne.

MOST BIZARRE INCIDENT: A photoshop scandal engulfed the show in 2021 after Lydia apparently edited a picture of fellow housewife Chyka Keebaugh, to make her look larger, before posting it on Instagram. Chyka’s daughter unearthed the original and revealed Lydia’s cruel deceit.

Warsaw

 hough it only ran for one series in 2023, the Polish version of Real Housewives was a European hit. Featuring nine glamorous women – including a dentist, hotelier and marketing manager – it was entitled ‘The Wives of Warsaw’. In one iconic scene, the housewives gathered in a jacuzzi aboard a luxury catamaran and discussed their extensive plastic surgeries.

QUEEN BEE: Single mother Kastarzyna Przydryga rules the roost, spending her days globetrotting, partying and posing up a storm for social media. Her self-confidence regularly riled her castmates. ‘I even vomit nicely,’ she told them, when suffering from seasickness aboard a yacht. ‘I have no complexes. Inside, outside… I am beautiful.’

MOST OPULENT HOUSE: Magda Pyc-Leszczuk’s house appears in almost every episode – and no wonder. With its four-poster beds, glittering chandeliers and wardrobes lined with designer shoes, not to mention an entire wall made from onyx crystals, it’s a fashionista’s bling paradise.

BIGGEST BUST-UP: Several of the stars attacked Monika Goździalska behind her back in episode two, criticising her lack of ‘class’ and suggesting she work for them as a cleaner. When news of their comments reached Monika, she spat back, calling them ‘dirty’.

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLING: In episode five, viewers were gripped by an argument between housewife Anita Kuś-Munsanje and her partner. ‘I thought I would be your lover,’ she lamented. ‘Instead I am a cleaner, dishwasher and secretary.’

MOST BIZARRE INCIDENT: One of the housewives, Sara Koślińska, discussed her husband getting a vasectomy. Her castmates misunderstood her comments and thought she was asking him to get castrated.

Lagos

High fashion, jaw-dropping wealth and dramatic bust-ups, The Real Housewives of Lagos has everything fans of the franchise adore. The Nigerian version premiered in 2022 and has aired three seasons to date, with another hotly-anticipated. Just two of the six original socialites remain.

QUEEN BEE: Bold, brassy and beautiful, Laura Ikeji, 37, was a YouTuber before the Real Housewives came calling – and is by far its biggest star. She boasts 3.2 million Instagram followers, a book deal, a sell-out perfume and her own international beauty brand.

MOST OPULENT HOUSE: With its gold-panelled dining room, thrones, chandeliers and huge sweeping staircase, housewife Iyabo Ojo’s home looks more like a palace than a house. The 47-year-old actress bought the house for herself and her two children in 2020.

BIGGEST BUST-UP: A trip to Ghana in season three signalled the biggest clash, when housewives Carolyna Hutchings and Dabota Lawson – never the best of friends – came to blows after Carolyna made a nasty comment about Dabota’s hair.

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLING: Social media star Sophia Momodu, who joined in season three, and her former partner, musician Davido, have a history of public disputes. Sophia published raunchy text messages between the pair, claiming he begged her for phone sex days after his wedding (to another woman).

MOST BIZARRE INCIDENT: The partial scripting of the show was revealed in season two, after an episode in which Iyabo Ojo stepped on fellow housewife Faith Morey’s dress, sparking a fight. When criticised by fans, Iyabo admitted she’d only done it for dramatic effect.

Durban

It started with fireworks – quite literally, at a lavish Diwali party – in 2021 and is still going strong, with a fifth season about to start, following the gilded existence of a group of affluent women in South Africa.

QUEEN BEE: Glam businesswoman Sorisha Naidoo, 49, has been a stalwart since episode one and has many strings to her bow: DJ, philanthropist, actress and social media star. However, in a jaw-dropping season four finale she stormed off set when her marriage to 72-year-old billionaire businessman Vivian Reddy was questioned. A newspaper later published an apology for insinuating she’d married him for his money.

MOST OPULENT HOUSE: With its sparkling infinity pool, perfectly-manicured gardens and priceless art collection, housewife Jojo Robinson’s Durban mansion has been a focal point. She’s even staged her own festival there – Jochella.

BIGGEST BUST-UP: Season three saw a screaming row between Jojo and fellow castmate Slee Ndlovu, after Jojo accused Slee of asking her husband, Calven, to ‘hook her up’ with a rich man like him.

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLING: The relationship between entrepreneur Nonku Williams, 45, and her partner Dumisani Ndlazi was a turbulent one, ending dramatically in season three. Nonku has since accused Dumisani of scamming her; he denies this and claims she ‘controlled’ him.

MOST BIZARRE INCIDENT: In a strange twist, housewife Slee was accused of ‘witchcraft’ by fellow castmates after burning incense on set.

Jersey

The second British instalment, following the hugely-successful Real Housewives of Cheshire, the Jersey version launched on ITV in 2020 and ran for two series.

QUEEN BEE: Fashionista Tessa Hartmann, 55, whose business empire includes a swimwear range and luxury branding agency. Larger-than-life Tessa regularly makes headlines for her outspoken opinions. She quit the show in 2022 after disputes with her co-stars over the Covid vaccine: she claimed she was ‘bullied’ by ‘anti-vax’ co-stars after her teenage son became seriously ill after contracting the virus.

MOST OPULENT HOUSE: ‘La Rochelle’, the ultra-modern mansion Tessa shared with her artist husband Sascha – boasting six bedrooms, four reception rooms, a roof terrace and swimming pool – went on the market for £6 million in 2022.

BIGGEST BUST-UP: Tessa Hartmann and estate agent Margaret Thompson, 62, were sworn enemies: Tessa branded Margaret ‘boring’ on Twitter, which led Margaret to call Tessa a ‘b***h’ during the 2022 reunion.

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLING: Housewife Jane Rayner, 60, shocked castmates in season one when she revealed her fiancé of six years, Andy, was still married to his former partner, sparking an explosive row at a glitzy dinner party, where Andy was branded a ‘bigamist’.

MOST BIZARRE INCIDENT: In August 2023, Jane was fined £1,500 for assault after spitting in a man’s face in a Jersey coffee shop.

Vancouver

Running for two seasons in 2012, The Real Housewives of Vancouver was the first Canadian version and drew 1.2 million viewers per episode. Producers have recently considered bringing the cast together for a reunion.

QUEEN BEE: Singer and TV personality Mary Zilba, 61, holds the Canadian crown – despite hailing from Ohio in the US. She cast herself as the ‘good girl’ of the group and never failed to make a dramatic appearance at a party – even those to which she she wasn’t invited.

MOST OPULENT HOUSE: 56-year-old housewife Ronnie Negus owns not one but four stunning waterfront homes in West Vancouver – and the show documented her plans to knock them down and build one 15,000 sq ft mega-mansion.

BIGGEST BUST-UP: Thrice-married Jody Claman earned a reputation as a bully and several of the most dramatic clashes involved her. In one, at the season two reunion, she served two castmates – Mary Zilba and Christina Kiesel – with legal papers for alleged defamation.

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLING: Controversy dogged housewife Reiko Mackenzie and her husband Sunny, after it came to light that he had been acquitted of murder in a Canadian gangland trial in 1994. Despite coming out in his defence, the pair split in October 2012.

MOST BIZARRE INCIDENT: Jody Claman continued making headlines after the series ended. In 2014, one of her daughters was injured in a drive-by shooting, and in 2016 she lost custody of her other daughter after a judge branded her ‘manipulative’.

Naples

Bringing style, class and Italian elegance to the franchise are The Real Housewives of Naples (Napoli), which launched in 2019 and has had two successful seasons to date.

QUEEN BEE: Noemi Letizia, 33, a TV star and actress, who’s always immaculately-clad in designer clothes and never afraid to speak her mind.

MOST OPULENT HOUSE: Boasting stucco-fronted mansions and luxury villas, all the housewives have extravagant properties to their names (or, in many cases, their wealthy husbands’). In one episode, housewife Raffaella Siervo hosted a hedonistic, champagne-fuelled pool party at her multimillion-pound Naples home.

BIGGEST BUST-UP: Between seasons one and two, housewife Daniela Sabella posted a photo of herself with three other castmates, alleging one of them, Maria Consiglio, was a ‘snake, ugly inside and out.’ The pair had several follow-up disputes in season two.

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLING: Noemi and her husband Vittorio Romano, who separated in 2017 after just a few months of marriage in a very public argument, during which the police were called.

MOST BIZARRE INCIDENT: Noemi’s time on the show was overshadowed by a scandal involving former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, dating back to 2009. Berlusconi flew Noemi, then just 18, to his Sardinian villa for New Year’s Eve, having previously been pictured at her birthday party. Berlusconi claimed they were family friends, but reports claimed something more sinister had gone on.

New York

The second Real Housewives series ever, the New York version (known as ‘RHONY’) has been going since 2008 and spans 15 seasons. Originally called ‘Manhattan Moms’, it was entirely recast in 2022 after the 13th season.

QUEEN BEE: Bethenny Frankel, 54, is the stand-out star and has gone on to front a daytime talk show and an Apprentice-like business competition.

Known for her blunt honesty and forceful opinions, Bethenny used the series to promote her £72 million ‘Skinnygirl’ lifestyle brand – but later left after disclosing that the network, Bravo, was asking for a cut of the profits.

MOST OPULENT HOUSE: With a wine fridge that holds 120 bottles, a 1,000 sq ft master bedroom, a piano lounge and heated outdoor pool, the Hamptons villa owned by housewife Ramona Singer, 68, features heavily on RHONY.

BIGGEST BUST-UP: One of the biggest fights took place among the new cast members just last year, when, during a trip to Puerto Rico, Ubah Hassan accused fellow housewife Brynn Whitfield of ‘twisting words’, while another branded her a ‘bully’. Brynn was so upset that filming had to be stopped. ‘This is not for the show,’ Ubah said.

CONTROVERSIAL COUPLING: Bethenny and husband Jason Hoppy split in 2012, but before their divorce the show focused on their disintegrating marriage, including a long-running custody battle over their daughter. Bethenny claimed she had to ‘force’ herself to have sex with him, and compared their home to a ‘torture chamber’.

MOST BIZARRE INCIDENT: In a now-infamous episode in season six, housewife Aviva Drescher – who lost a leg in a farming accident when she was a child – detached her prosthetic limb and threw it at castmate Carole Radziwill, screaming: ‘The only thing that’s fake about me is this leg!’