Ruth's Shadow
Ellis’s granddaughter on finally overcoming her generational trauma
Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images
- Laura Rutkowski
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Laura Enston, 46, is Ruth Ellis’s granddaughter. Her mother was Georgina Ellis, who was just three years old when Ruth was hanged and died aged 50 in 2001. Laura is one of six children from her mother’s different marriages. She has shied away from the media, but now wants to own her story — and her family history.
“I watched the movie Dance with a Stranger [from 1985, starring Miranda Richardson as Ruth Ellis] when I was seven. It’s no wonder I have distanced myself from Ruth and my bloodline. I didn’t warm to her at all. She was portrayed in that film as a very onedimensional character and I grew up believing that narrative. The newspapers and my mum reinforced that image. Ruth’s death affected my mum so much and there’s generational trauma that comes with that.
“I tried to keep it a secret growing up. I felt that by not telling people about it, I wouldn’t be judged. I didn’t want people thinking that I was like my mum or like Ruth. I was bullied in school, with people reminding me my grandmother was a prostitute and a murderer.
“My mum revelled in the ‘like mother, like daughter’ persona. She turned to sex work and alcohol and used Ruth as justification for that. I grew up in the shadow of the press and my mum was desperate for me to join the media circus. I realise now how damaged she was. Her mother was hanged and she had no mental health support.
“In 2023, I started my healing journey with the whole Ruth association. I’ve had professional therapy, and I’m in a much better place with it mentally. Then Stephen [Beard, her half-brother, who pitched the idea of a drama to executive producer Kate Bartlett] messaged me to say ITV was doing the series and they wanted to talk to me. My initial reaction was ‘make it stop’.
“Stephen told me to read Carol Ann Lee’s book and I learnt more about my family history in that than I had my whole life. The shame just fell away. I was so impressed by what Ruth had been through — she was remarkable.
After watching all four episodes of A Cruel Love: the Ruth Ellis Story, I wasn’t sad, I felt happy, and relieved about how Ruth was portrayed. I really liked Ruth’s character. She has a good sense of humour and she’s someone my friends and I would have wanted to have a drink with.
“I wish I knew her. I have two girls who are ten and 8 and I don’t want them hearing about this at school, so I’m going to have an age-appropriate conversation with them. I will be focusing on the successful Ruth.
“People think it was an open-and-shut case and Ruth got what she deserved. I’ve always taken umbrage at the phrase ‘crime of passion’. This was no crime of passion — this was a crime of domestic violence and mental abuse. I take some solace from the fact Ruth didn’t die in vain. This case triggered huge judicial reform in the UK and brought in the defence of diminished responsibility.
“I’m out of my comfort zone and I’m not sleeping well at the moment, but I feel like I have to talk about this publicly. I didn’t kill anyone, I’m not a prostitute. Just because I’m related to people who were doesn’t mean I’m one too. But I now realise I have no control what people think.
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“I would love for Ruth to receive a posthumous pardon, but I also know there’s a reality — she committed a crime. For me, this drama will have a wider-reaching impact than a court ruling. The public are going to be re-educated — I certainly have been.”
Authors
Laura RutkowskiCommissioning Editor
Laura Rutkowski is a Commissioning Editor at Radio Times magazine, where she looks after the View From My Sofa slot, and the "What it's like to…" column, which spotlights behind-the-scenes roles within the TV and film industry. She loves finding out how productions are made and enjoys covering a wide variety of genres. Laura is half-American and half-British and joined Radio Times in 2022. She has a degree in Psychology and a Master's in Magazine Journalism.
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