Ruth Ellis would have turned 100 today

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 14:44 · Archive

Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in Britain, would have celebrated her 100th birthday today, more than 70 years after her execution in 1955.

Ruth Ellis, from Rhyl, would have celebrated her 100th birthday today, 9 October. Born Ruth Neilson in 1926, she rose from humble beginnings to become a glamorous London nightclub manager in the 1950s. She was described as independent, ambitious and ahead of her time.

Ellis was executed on 13 July 1955 after being convicted of murdering racing driver David Blakely, the man with whom she was in a stormy and abusive relationship. On Easter Sunday, 10 April 1955, outside the Magdala pub in Hampstead, she shot Blakely four times. When questioned, she said: 'I intended to kill him.' The case sparked widespread controversy and debate over the death penalty that has continued for generations.

Despite her evident distress and years of abuse, the law offered her little defence at the time. She was granted a conditional pardon on 8 July 2026. Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy told Parliament: 'I have the honour to say that His Majesty the King has accepted our advice to grant Ruth Ellis a conditional pardon, the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom.' Director Lee Haven Jones, who made the drama A Cruel Love about her life for ITV in 2025, described her as 'everything that society wasn't ready to accept'.

Ruth Ellis would have turned 100 today — Image: North Wales Chronicle

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Remembering Ruth Ellis who would have celebrated milestone birthday todayRuth Ellis was executed on July 13, 1955, after being convicted of murdering racing driver David Blakely - a case that sparked widespread debate.North Wales Chronicle · 9 Oct, 14:25
Remembering Ruth Ellis who would have celebrated milestone birthday todayRuth Ellis was executed on July 13, 1955, after being convicted of murdering racing driver David Blakely - a case that sparked widespread debate.North Wales Pioneer · 9 Oct, 14:25

In this story: Ruth Ellis · David Blakely · Rhyl · London · Hampstead · David Lammy · Lee Haven Jones

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