ITV 's latest drama, Until I Kill You, plunges viewers into the terrifying true story of agency nurse Delia Balmer (Anna Maxwell-Martin) from London. Delia thought she found a soulmate in John Sweeney (Shaun Evans), a carpenter and apparent kindred spirit. The story unfolds following their meeting at a Camden pub in 1991.
On the surface, it appeared Delia had struck romantic gold with Liverpool-born Sweeney, who seemed to be an attentive partner, showering her with flowers and affection. However, as the series and her harrowing experiences reveal, beneath the facade was a man capable of unfathomable violence. Drawing on Delia's chilling memoir, 'Living With a Serial Killer', published in 2017, she looks back at those days with regret for not seeing the warning signs, writing: "Subtle changes happened slowly.
I should've known something was wrong but I am too soft and trusting. I'd never come across anything like it before." The show captures the spiral of terror as Sweeney moved into Delia's home, revealing his volatile anger, before taking control in a manner that was both abusive and frightening, leading to years of living in constant fear.
It wasn't until much later that Delia mustered the strength to confront him and demand he leave - a decision met with a horrific response. Despite Delia's initial request for him to leave, Sweeney's manipulation of her intensified, leading to a harrowing period in the spring of 1994 when he held her captive. During this time, he restrain.