Ruth Ellis' children now as A Cruel Love drama on Welsh criminal airs on ITV
ITV's latest drama A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story delves into the tragic tale of the last woman executed in Britain. Adapted from Carol Ann Lee's critically acclaimed biography A Fine Day For A Hanging, the show transports viewers to the chic world of 1950s London clubland.
Welsh woman Ruth Ellis (Lucy Boynton) was the city's youngest club manager who gained significant recognition and rubbed shoulders with many celebrities.
Her ill-fated relationship with racing driver David Blakely, which marred by violence, ended in his murder and her arrest. Ruth was subsequently sentenced to death, and on July 13, 1955, 28 year old Ruth Ellis met her end on the gallows.
Ruth lived a full life despite her early demise, leaving behind two children from different fathers, both of whom suffered from their mother's notorious legacy.
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What happened to Ruth Ellis' children?
Following her execution, Ruth Ellis left behind three-year-old Georgina and 10-year-old Andy. Born Clare Andria Neilson, but known as Andy, he grappled with his mother's infamy throughout his life.
He went on to record a series of interviews with the prosecutor who labelled his mother "cold-hearted", aiming to refute her reputation.
He was taunted all his life about his mother to the point where he destroyed the marker on her grave at Amersham, St Mary’s Cemetery in Buckinghamshire.
Tragically, Andy died by suicide in 1982.
Georgina, the half-sister of Andy, was moved to live with an adoptive family and struggled with the impact of her mother's death throughout her life. Known to many as Georgie, she lived a fast lifestyle that almost mirrored her mother's - model, businesswoman and writer with plenty of celebrity friends.
She previously revealed an affair with one of the Great Train Robbers, Charlie Wilson, as well as well-publicised relationships with footballer George Best and actor Richard Harris. In 1995, she released the book Ruth Ellis, My Mother, which detailed memories of her mother and how Ruth's life shaped her own.
Georgie was married twice and had six children, but her eldest daughter Laura Enston wrote in The Telegraph how Georgie's lifestyle and behaviour affected the family home and her childhood in Didsbury in South Manchester.
She reflected: "Lately, my attitude towards my mother has shifted to a more compassionate place. The government allowed Ruth to hang for her crime, and my mother never received any mental health support.
"I am guilty of underestimating the devastating impact this had on her."
Georgina died of cancer in 2001, aged just 50. She had also campaigned for Ruth's conviction to be reduced to manslaughter and wanted the case to be heard at the Court of Appeal.
Ellis's son-in-law Mike Blackburn described the effect Ellis's execution had had on her daughter, his wife Georgie. Mr Blackburn, hailing from Beverley in East Yorkshire, shared: "She was constantly reminded of it. Complete strangers would come up to her and ask her if she was Ruth's daughter.
"It haunted her all her days."
You can watch the first episode at 9pm on Wednesday, March 5 on ITV1 and ITVX.
