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A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story

Told over two parallel timelines, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story reveals secret truths about the case which have remained hidden for decades, poses tantalising questions about what really happened in the months before Ruth killed her lover David Blakely, and sheds light on the life of one of Britain's most infamous murderesses.

The drama depicts Ruth's entry into a dizzying upper class London world that promises so much, but ultimately delivers treachery. We follow her glamorous lifestyle as a young nightclub manageress, her abusive relationship with the man she later gunned down in cold blood, her arrest, trial and the subsequent legal fight to reprieve her before she was hanged by infamous hangman, Albert Pierrepoint, in Holloway Prison, aged just 28.

Show Info

Web channel: United Kingdom ITVX (2025 - 2025)
Average Runtime: 47 minutes
Status: Ended
Show Type: Scripted
Genres: DramaCrimeHistory
Episodes ordered: 4 episodes
Created by: Kelly Jones

Official site: www.itv.com

6.7 (6 votes)

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Previous Episode

Episode 4

Episode 1x04; Mar 5, 2025

The day before Ruth's execution, she finally agrees to tell her new lawyer, Victor Mishcon, the full story, the whole truth. Mishcon has twenty-four hours to save her life. We flashback to the weeks leading up to David's murder and now understand how

Previous Episodes

Episode NameAirdateTrailer
1x04: Episode 4Mar 5, 2025
1x03: Episode 3Mar 5, 2025
1x02: Episode 2Mar 5, 2025
View full episode list »

Cast

Extra Details

Also known as:
  • Ruth

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