In this final installment of our seven-part series, we follow Ruth Ellis through her last days and hours at Holloway Prison. Convicted of the murder of her lover, David Blakely, Ruth became the last woman hanged in Britain.

We trace the frantic efforts made by friends, family, and even members of the public to win her a reprieve—and the powerful voices calling for her execution to go forward. We recount the haunting details of her final letters, her last walk to the gallows, and her shocking confession on the eve of her death that suggested she did not act alone.

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Sources:

A Fine Day for a Hanging: The Ruth Ellis Story, Carol Ann Lee, Mainstream Publishing, 2013.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Ellis

https://realcrimes.co.uk/ruth-ellis-jealousy-rejection-and-a-hanging/

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/ruth-ellis-real-story-last-woman-hanged-murder-a-cruel-love-b1141748.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20141204212735/http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/women/ellis/5.html

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/sep/12/ukcrime.claredyer

https://www.hampshirelive.news/news/history/woman-hanged-ruth-ellis-hampshire-4192091

https://www.crimemagazine.com/ruth-ellis-love-lust-and-death-gallows

Resources & Further Reading

• Dance with a Stranger (1985 film)
• ITV’s A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (2025)
• Ruth Ellis: My Sister’s Secret Life by Muriel Jakubait
• Line Up for Crime by Duncan Webb

Sponsors: 

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https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/sponsors/

Links: 

Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime 

Our Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com 

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