Who is the real Delia Balmer? The true story behind the new ITV drama Until I Kill You

ITV's new drama Until I Kill You will premiere on Sunday, November 3 with Bafta-winning Anna Maxwell Martin starring as Delia Balmer. Set in the 1990s, the series is based on a memoir written by Delia Balmer herself where she documents her violent relationship with John Sweeney, one of Britain's most notorious murderers.

Retired nurse Delia Balmer, now in her 70s, first met Sweeney in a local pub - but the pair's relationship quickly deteriorated with Sweeney's dark past coming to light. The relationship culminates in a number of life-threatening attacks on Delia which she barely survives - but how much do you know about the real Delia Balmer?

Until I Kill You is a four-part drama with each episode lasting an hour. The series will air on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday, November 3 at 9pm.

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Who is the real Delia Balmer?

Delia Balmer is a retired nurse who lived in London in the 90s. She first met Sweeney in a pub in Camden, London in 1991 and the pair quickly bonded over their shared love of travelling. Balmer learned that Sweeney worked on construction sites in Germany and travelled frequently - but he was hiding a sinister secret.

Sweeney began to emotionally and psychically manipulate Delia, firstly with constant phone calls and then increasingly controlling her behaviour. Writing in her memoir, Balmer said: "I should’ve known something was wrong but I am too soft and trusting. I’d never come across anything like it before."

Eventually, he began throttling Delia, sending her death threats and even raping. Early in the pair's relationship, Delia happened across a green canvas bag belonging to Sweeney, filled with masking tape, Marigold gloves, surgical gloves, a large plastic ground sheet, rope, and a saw.

Delia says it was “a body disposal kit meant for me”. She briefly left Sweeney in 1994, changed the locks on her door, and asked police to investigate the contents of the bag.

Despite Balmer’s attempts to alert the police, Sweeney forced his way into her home, holding her hostage for four days. He restrained her to a bed and threatened her with a gun, even confessing to the murder of his former girlfriend, 33-year-old Melissa Halstead, and two men in Amsterdam.

When Sweeney eventually left the flat, Balmer escaped and reported the ordeal to the police. They arrested Sweeney on charges of holding her hostage but later released him on bail where he unleashed a horrifying axe attack on Balmer. Sweeney severed one of Balmer's fingers, but a neighbor intervened, hitting Sweeney with a baseball bat to rescue her. Sweeney managed to escape and went on the run.

Sweeney was caught by police in 2001 and given four life sentences for the attempted murder of Balmer. In 2010, whilst serving this sentence, he was charged with the murder of Melissa Halstead and the murder of 31-year-old Paula Fields, who he had killed whilst on the run. Her body was found in Regent’s Canal in 2001.

Whilst investigating the case, police uncovered hoard of more than 300 violent and pornographic paintings and poems at the filthy squat where Sweeney lived. Authorities believe he could be behind the dissapearances of three more women between 1970-1990.

Delia wrote in her memoir Living With A Serial Killer: “Even after all these years, the scars and the pain are a constant reminder of my life with a serial killer. I still don’t trust this body, and what might go wrong with it.

"It is still a stranger to me. I am trapped in this prison with no chance of appeal. He might be in prison, but for me no justice has been served."

Until I Kill You premieres on ITV1 at 9pm on November, 3.