Kate Chastain Reveals What Really Pushed Her to Leave Below Deck

Kate Chastain spent many seasons on charter on Below Deck serving as the series' chief stew, but earlier this year she confirmed she was stepping away from life on the seas and finding her footing on land. Kate opened up about what prompted her to make that choice during the August 3 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

"I just feel like I'm 37 and a half — and I don't think a girl should be wearing a skort at 38," she said, while reflecting on her last season on the series, as you can see in the clip above.

Kate joined the Below Deck crew in Season 2. She served as chief stew in every season since. That tenure led to her becoming one of the longest-running crew members on Below Deck — second only to Captain Lee Rosbach, who has been with the series since Season 1.

Speaking of, Captain Lee surprised his longtime chief stew with a heartwarming message during the August 3 episode's Moment of Mazel: "All the best. I know you've got a lot of success coming your way."

Kate confirmed she was exiting Below Deck back in February.

"After many months of reflection and internal discussions, I have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new land based role," she wrote on Instagram at the time. "I intend to step back as a senior member of the Below Deck Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support His Majesty Andy Cohen.”

More from Captain Lee gushing about working with Kate and his first impression of her during WWHL, below.