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 Broadbent had been used by the show and had been dropped from the cast.On 8 March 2013 Mick Norcross who has appeared from the second series announced his departure from the show. This series also saw the departure of Kirk Norcross for the second time after announcing on Twitter that he had quit the show on 21 March 2013. Cast member Debbie Douglas also announced her departure from the show via Twitter on 29 March 2013.
Episode 1
Lauren fears that she could be pregnant. Mario celebrates his 25th birthday without Lucy, meanwhile newcomer Amy reveals that the only reason Mario hasn't cheated on her was because she turned him down. Bobby announces he wants a "gayby". Diags, Tom and Arg help Joey decorate his new shop.
Episode 2
Gemma launches her new dieting club but is disappointed to hear that Arg and Jasmin are getting close. Lauren tells Kirk that she's taken a pregnancy test and it's negative. Lucy's upset continues as she tries to find out what really happened between Mario and Amy. Bobby finds out that Gemma disapproves of his plans for a "gayby".
Episode 3
Arg invites Jasmin round for dinner at Sam's where Sam and Jess question Arg's feelings towards Gemma. Joey holds job interviews for his new shop. Mario refuses to make the first move with Lucy after claiming he's not a cheat. Kirk gets emotional in front of Lauren.