From glamour model to nightclub manager - who was pardoned killer Ruth Ellis?

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: From glamour model to nightclub manager - who was pardoned killer Ruth Ellis? Image source, Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesImage caption, Ruth Ellis, originally from north Wales, was a glamour model and nightclub manager in London in the 1950sByCatriona AitkenBBC WalesPublished9 minutes agoThe last woman to be executed in the UK has received a posthumous conditional pardon more than 70 years after her death - but who was she? Nightclub hostess Ruth Ellis, from Rhyl in Denbighshire, was hanged after being convicted of murdering her lover, David Blakely.

Since then, Ellis' family have fought for her conviction to be overturned, saying Blakely physically and emotionally abused her before she killed him. Announcing that the King had granted the pardon on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said it did not mean Ellis was innocent, but "replaces the death penalty with a sentence of life imprisonment to recognise a profound injustice in this exceptional case". Image source, Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesImage caption, It is widely reported that Ellis (middle) lived and worked at the Little Club in Knightsbridge until shortly before her conviction What did Ruth Ellis do and when was she hanged?

The Details

Ellis worked as a glamour model in London in the 1940s and 50s, and was linked to several venues in the capital's nightlife scene, before reportedly living and working as the manager at the Little Club in Knightsbridge until 1954. She was convicted of murdering Blakely on 10 April 1955, and hanged at London's Holloway Prison on 13 July that year. Image source, Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesImage caption, Crowds turned out at London's Holloway Prison on 13 July 1955 as Ellis was executedEllis shot Blakely outside The Magdala pub in Hampstead, London, following a tumultuous relationship involving infidelity on both sides.

She had an abortion, which was illegal in the UK at the time, and was physically abused by the racing driver who punched her in the stomach during an argument, leading to a miscarriage. Image source, PA MediaImage caption, Ellis' lover, David Blakely, was abusive to her throughout their relationshipThe day before she was executed, she wrote to George Rogers, the Labour MP for Kensington North at the time, who had campaigned for her to be pardoned. In the letter, she appeared resigned to her fate, saying she was "quite well".

The letter was written on prison paper with her name, prisoner number and the date at the top. Ellis thanked Rogers for his efforts to help her. He had visited Ellis in prison and received her agreement to an appeal to the Home Secretary for clemency - or leniency - but it was denied.

She also said Rogers would speak to her solicitor following her death and know "the truth".

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.