The police have dropped the assault case against Rachel Lugo of The Real Housewives of Cheshire. Her co-star and recurring RHOCH cast member Royston Blythe accused her of physically attacking him in May during a charity gala event. However, the charges have been dropped, and the case won’t be proceeding.
For some context, Royston, a celebrity hairdresser to RHOCH OG Dawn Ward who makes regular appearances as a friend on RHOCH, claims that Rachel shoved him with force last May 1, 2026, at an Empowerment Charity Gala during filming for the popular ITV reality show’s season finale.
Royston Blythe accused Rachel Lugo of physically attacking him
“Rachel aggressively pushed her way through his group from behind and went for me,” Royston revealed. “She shoved me in the shoulder and pushed me back with such force, I lost my footing and felt winded.”
Police investigated after Royston filed the complaint. However, the physical assault charges have now been dropped, according to The Daily Mail. A source claims that “Police decided to take no further action and advised Royston to drop the case.”
For his part, Royston is still struggling with what happened. He posted a video on social media sharing that mentally he was “not okay.” He’s faced a lot of backlash online, and it was not good for his mental health. His husband, Nick Malenko, added that Royston made the difficult decision to drop the case and remains upset while waiting for an apology from Rachel.
“I’m still in shock,” Royston shared. “And as we all know, at my age we don’t get over things so easily.” He did thank everyone for their support and warm messages though.
A TV insider claims that ITV and UTAS UK Productions are still deciding if they will air the explosive and dramatic scenes. Royston has also issued a formal complaint to the show’s bosses claiming their duty of care “isn’t good enough.” They didn’t provide any support when the online abuse escalated. Regardless of what happens, he won’t be going back to RHOCH in the future.
Rachel herself hasn’t responded to the allegations, but her friends and fans have hit back and accused Royston of exaggerating a simple misunderstanding. Fans of RHOCH are also concerned this could end the show, which is one of the most popular on the platform.
The Real Housewives of Cheshire streams on ITVX and Hayu.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHAT HAPPENED? SHOULD ROYSTON HAVE DROPPED THE CHARGES?
