Real Housewives of Cheshire’s Dawn Ward announces she is LEAVING the show

She shot to stardom as part of the original cast of Real Housewives of Cheshire, which premiered in January 2015. 

But Dawn Ward has officially announced her departure from the reality show after 12 seasons.

The reality star, 47, confirmed on Friday that she will no longer appear on RHOCH, as she plans to concentrate on projects with her family.

In a statement posted to her Instagram account, she said: ‘Having been on the Real Housewives of Cheshire for almost 7 years & 12 seasons, I’ve had the most incredible journey, not just me, but my whole family. It really has been amazing for us.

‘Season 12 has now come to an end and filming has finished. It’s been difficult this season with the pandemic but the cast and our amazing production team have pulled it off again, it’s been fun!

‘Everyone who knows me knows I’m all about my family, so I’ve decided that after 12 seasons on the show I would like to concentrate on projects with them.’ 

Dawn resides in an estimated £15 million mansion with her ex-footballer husband, Ashley Ward, 50, and some of their children. 

The couple are parents to daughters, Darby, 24, Taylor, 22, Charlie, 13, and Aston, 11. 

As she plans to spend more time with her loved ones, she thanked the show and fans for their support. 

Dawn continued: ‘I am so grateful to ITV, Monkey Kingdom and all the amazing cast over the years past and present! Most importantly the amazing fans for their incredible support.

‘It’s a great show and will only go from strength to strength as it’s done since season one. I want to wish everyone involved on the show the best of luck and I can’t wait to tune in for season 13! 

The mother-of-four concluded: ‘Once again thank you so much for all your support, you really have been incredible. Exciting times ahead❤️❤️’.

Dawn recently opened up to MailOnline about her battle with coronavirus, as she confessed she ‘feared the worst’. 

She recalled her horrendous experience with the virus: ‘I was so poorly for two weeks. It was more worrying when you first get it because you don’t know what to expect. You see a lot of people who have been really sick so you’re expecting the worst. 

‘I did feel pretty rough, I didn’t leave my bed actually, I lost my appetite, headaches, shaking, shivering, and I had a very high temperature, but I was very lucky that I didn’t get the more severe symptoms. 

‘My children didn’t really show as many of the symptoms but it’s the longest I’ve ever, ever been in bed. It’s the longest I’ve ever stopped working and out of our family, I probably got it the worst.’