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
Reality television subcategories or variants: Although the term "docusoap" has been used for many documentary-style reality television shows, there have been shows that have deliberately tried to mimic the appearance and structure of soap operas. Such shows often focus on a close-knit group of people and their shifting friendships and romantic relationships. One highly influential such series was the American 2004–2006 series "", which attempted to specifically mimic the primetime soap opera "The O.C.", which had begun airing in 2003. "Laguna Beach" had a more cinematic feel than any previous reality television show, through the use of higher-quality lighting and cameras, voice-over