Who was Ruth Ellis and why was she hanged? The real story behind A Cruel Love

ITV's four-part drama A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, is based on Carol Ann Lee’s acclaimed biography, A Fine Day for Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story - the show delves into the hidden story of Ruth Ellis and exposes the timeless British obsessions of class, sex and death.

Set in 1955, the story takes viewers through a 28-year-old Ruth Ellis's (Lucy Boynton) rise to become one of London's youngest club managers and the the abusive relationship she experienced with racing driver David Blakely (Laurie Davidson.) Later finding herself on trial for murder, Ruth's notorious execution and fairness of it has been a source of ongoing intrigue in the following decades.

As the series is set to capture the nations attention in the same way as true-crime dramas Baby Reindeer and Joan, we take a closer look look at exactly who Ruth Ellis was, and why she was hanged.

Who was Ruth Ellis?

Ruth Ellis was born Ruth Neilson on October 9 1926, in the Welsh town of Rhyl. Ruth was the fifth of six children born to Bertha Goethals, a Belgian war refugee, and cellist Arthur Hornby.

According to Tatler, Arthur Ellis sexually abused Ruth and her older sister, Muriel, who gave birth to his child at the age of 14. Muriel's baby boy was raised in the Ellis home, as a brother to the existing children.

Ruth left school early in order to leave home, where she moved to Basingstoke to take a job as a cinema usherette, before eventually moving to London. At the age of 17 and in the midst of the Second World War, she frequently attended London’s ‘dives’, underground dance areas safe from the bombs.

At one of these dives Ruth met Canadian soldier Clare Andrea McCallum, 10 years her senior. She fell pregnant with his child and gave birth to a son on September 15, 1944.

Although Clare McCallum promised to marry Ruth, when the war ended in 1945 he returned to Canada and she never saw him again - he had a wife and children in his home land.

To earn an income, Ruth began working as a hostess in Hampstead nightclubs and was an escort by 1950. While working at the Court Club in Mayfair she met 41-year-old divorced dentist and alcohol abuser, George Johnston Ellis.

The pair married but it wasn't log until the relationship became violent. Although she left Ellis numerous times, Ruth gave birth to their daughter, Georgina, in 1951 - once the child was born, George refused to acknowledge paternity.

Still working in London clubs, by 1952 and at the age of 27, Ruth became the manager of the Little Club in Knightsbridge, frequented by high profile and powerful clientele.

A racing car driver named David Blakely was a frequent visitor to the club, and Ruth found herself embroiled in relationships with him and former RAF pilot, Desmond Cussen, at the same time - Blakely was also abusive towards Ruth, reportedly once kicking her so hard she suffered a miscarriage.

The fact that Ruth was having liaisons with both Blakely and Cussen at the same time, saw her fired from the Knightsbridge club. Although multiple and complicated factors were involved in Ruth's eventual hanging at the age of 28, her ultimate involvement with these two men played a large part in Ruth's demise.

Why was Ruth Ellis hanged?

Ruth Ellis was hanged for the murder of David Blakely, although the story is far more nuanced than that. We know that Blakely had been incredibly abusive towards Ruth, but uncertainty remains regarding why she shot him on Easter Sunday, April 10, 1955.

She followed him to the Magdala pub in Hampstead and waited for him outside. When he left at at 9:30 pm, Ruth was waiting for him holding a Smith & Wesson. Calling his name, she shot Blakely multiple times - he died at the scene and a bystander was injured.

Following the incident, Ruth famously said, "I am guilty, I am a little confused." She was found to be of sound mind by the doctors and psychiatrists who evaluated her, and on June 20, 1955, admitted her intent to murder from the docks of the Old Bailey.

The jury only deliberated for 20 minutes before finding Ruth guilty and she was sentenced to death. She didn't want to appeal the decision and refused to reveal the full story of what happened on the day she killed Blakely.

The only details Ruth shared are that it was Desmond Cussen who'd given her the gun and taught her how to use it. He'd also driven her to the The Magdala pub where she carried out the crime.

Ruth Ellis was hanged at 9.01am on 13 July 1955, and was buried in an unmarked grave within the walls of Holloway Prison - her children were aged 10 and three-years-old at the time. Desmond Cussen denied any involvement in the crime and no further action was taken against him.