diff --git a/lib/queryBuilder/operations/eager/WhereInEagerOperation.js b/lib/queryBuilder/operations/eager/WhereInEagerOperation.js
index edee68309..2f9273b6f 100644
--- a/lib/queryBuilder/operations/eager/WhereInEagerOperation.js
+++ b/lib/queryBuilder/operations/eager/WhereInEagerOperation.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ const promiseUtils = require('../../../utils/promiseUtils');
 
 const { EagerOperation } = require('./EagerOperation');
 const { isMsSql, isOracle, isSqlite } = require('../../../utils/knexUtils');
-const { asArray, flatten, chunk } = require('../../../utils/objectUtils');
+const { isObject, asArray, flatten, chunk } = require('../../../utils/objectUtils');
 const { ValidationErrorType } = require('../../../model/ValidationError');
 const { createModifier } = require('../../../utils/createModifier');
 const { RelationDoesNotExistError } = require('../../../model/RelationDoesNotExistError');
@@ -63,7 +63,8 @@ class WhereInEagerOperation extends EagerOperation {
 
     const models = asArray(result);
 
-    if (!models.length) {
+    // Check models to be actual objects, to filter out `count` results (#2397).
+    if (!models.length || !isObject(models[0])) {
       return result;
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/integration/patch.js b/tests/integration/patch.js
index c72597842..dd9a77fda 100644
--- a/tests/integration/patch.js
+++ b/tests/integration/patch.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ const expect = require('expect.js');
 const Promise = require('bluebird');
 const { inheritModel } = require('../../lib/model/inheritModel');
 const { expectPartialEqual: expectPartEql } = require('./../../testUtils/testUtils');
-const { Model, ValidationError, raw } = require('../../');
+const { Model, QueryBuilder, ValidationError, raw } = require('../../');
 const { isPostgres, isSqlite } = require('../../lib/utils/knexUtils');
 const mockKnexFactory = require('../../testUtils/mockKnex');
 
@@ -330,6 +330,32 @@ module.exports = (session) => {
             });
           });
       });
+
+      it('should not attempt to eager-load relations on patch `count` results when using overwritten `execute()` to load relations (#2397)', () => {
+        let runBeforeCalled = 0;
+
+        class MyModel1 extends Model1 {}
+
+        MyModel1.QueryBuilder = class MyQueryBuilder1 extends QueryBuilder {
+          execute() {
+            this.withGraphFetched('model1Relation2');
+            return super.execute();
+          }
+        };
+
+        return MyModel1.query()
+          .context({
+            runBefore() {
+              runBeforeCalled++;
+            },
+          })
+          .where({ id: 1 })
+          .patch({ model1Prop1: 'updated text' })
+          .then((count) => {
+            expect(count).to.eql(1);
+            expect(runBeforeCalled).to.eql(1);
+          });
+      });
     });
 
     describe('.query().patchAndFetchById()', () => {