In less than a year, I’ve watched all 15 seasons of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I am not alone in this obsession | Caitlin Cassidy

Cohabiting with my partner meant addressing my addiction to the lives of extremely rich women I have never met

When you move in with a partner, you can no longer hide the embarrassing or unattractive parts of yourself. Your dirty laundry is metaphorically and literally aired – and so are your bad habits.

Six months ago, cohabiting with my partner for the first time meant coming face to face with my addiction: I cannot stop watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

In less than a year, I have watched all 15 seasons of the Bravo franchise, equating to about 250 hours of reality television. I have done this while also completing normal tasks like work, seeing friends and walking my dog.

When I reached the end of season 15 this week, I felt a strange mixture of relief and fear. I was no longer captive to the show but I also depended on it.