Kathryn Dennis Confirms Exit from Southern Charm After 8 Seasons: 'What a Wild Ride It's Been!'

Bryan Bedder/Bravo/Getty

Kathryn Dennis is bidding farewell to Southern Charm.

The 31-year-old reality star is exiting the hit Bravo show after eight seasons, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm.

"What a wild ride it's been!" she says in a statement. "Can you believe I was 21 when I first started filming Southern Charm, back in its first season? That was in 2013, and in the decade that followed, it's safe to say my life changed in ways I could never imagine. It hasn't always been easy, but I'm so lucky to have had reality cameras there, capturing so many moments that I'll never forget (and a few, even, that I'd like to)."

Dennis continues, "Y'all watched me grow up, become a mom to two amazing children, and build friendships I'll always treasure. And through it all, the love y'all have shown for me not only gave me the strength I needed to tackle it all, but helped me realize that I wasn't alone. I'm so grateful."

"I'll be carrying that love with me as I enter this next chapter of my life, away from the Southern Charm lens. I'm thankful for Bravo, the producers at Haymaker and my Charleston cast mates for everything," she adds. "And I'm excited for whatever comes next. If it's anything like the last decade, it'll be a memorable ride. LFG [let's f---ing go]."

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News of Dennis's departure comes after she shared her goals for this year on Instagram, writing, "I don't know about you but I'm feeling 2023 ~ my New Year's resolution is to have more hope and channel my grace 🙏💞 "

The course of Dennis's life was shifted when she joined Southern Charm as a friend of the cast in 2014.

Then just 21, she met 29-years-older Thomas Ravenel and began a tumultuous on-and-off romance that spanned several seasons and resulted in two children. Their daughter Kensington Calhoun, 8, was conceived during the filming of season 1, and 6-year-old son Saint Julien was conceived during between seasons. (Dennis was then promoted to a main cast member in season 2.)

Dennis and Ravenel, 60, went through years of acrimonious custody battles and traded allegations, and he has since fathered another child with another woman unrelated to the Bravo show.

RELATED: Southern Charm Star Kathryn Dennis Is 'Focusing On Building a Better Life' with Her Kids

While attending BravoCon in October 2022, Dennis told PEOPLE she was "focusing on building a better life for me, for them and our family."

As for her relationship with Ravenel, when a fan asked during the Southern Charm panel at BravoCon what advice the show's stars would give to themselves going into season 1, Kathryn answered, "Pick a different guy."

John Valkos/Tommy Garcia/Bravo The season 7 cast of Southern Charm

More recently, Dennis has shown another rocky romance with a Ravenell — Chleb Ravenell, no relationship to Thomas Ravenel — in recent seasons of Southern Charm.

RELATED: Southern Charm's Kathryn Dennis Reunites with Chleb Ravenell: 'There's Slim Pickings in Charleston'

During a fight that led to their first breakup, Dennis accused him of being "emotionally unavailable" and said, "maybe you should just not be in a relationship."

She continued, "I can't keep trying if I don't feel like you're trying. I never pictured what the moment would be like when we really like went our separate ways, but I really think that's the best thing for you and for me."

Kathryn Dennis/Instagram Kathryn Dennis and Chleb Ravenell

RELATED: Southern Charm: Kathryn Dennis Admits 'Something's Off' After Rekindling with Ex Chleb Ravenell

They later revealed they had gotten back together — though Dennis said the rekindling happened because "basically, there's slim pickings in Charleston."

Soon enough, Dennis said she felt something off "in my gut" about the relationship, and the relationship ended not long after, seemingly for good.

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Southern Charm can be streamed in full on Peacock.