The Only Way Is Essex (series 8) show he briefly dated Chloe Sims but previously dated Lauren Pope off screen. <onlyinclude></onlyinclude> The Only Way Is Essex (series 8) The eighth series of "The Only Way Is Essex", a British semi-reality television programme, began airing on 24 February 2013 on ITV2. The series consisted of 12 episodes. Series 8 marked the first series not to feature Lydia Bright, after her departure from the series in December 2012. The series also saw the departure of numerous supporting cast members and introduced new supporting cast members. On 7 March 2013, Mecklenburgh confirmed via her Twitter account that Amy and Sally
The Only Way Is Essex (series 16) it was announced that cast member Gemma Collins had quit the show having appeared since the second series, however she later returned for the Essexmas special. This was also the final series to feature original cast member Lauren Pope, who quit mid-way through the series, Jess Wright and Ferne McCann who both announced their departures from the show ahead of the seventeenth series. This was also the final series to include Patricia "Nanny Pat" Brooker following her death. A Christmas special of the show aired on 16 December 2015 which featured the brief return of former cast members Gemma Collins,