Until I Kill You: The Real Story proved to be a chilling watch this evening as it told the true story of how Delia Balmer managed to escape the grasps of serial killer, John Sweeney, after they first met 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. But beneath the facade was a man capable of unfathomable violence.
While reliving a scene where the killer had her tied her up, Delia showed the ITV film crew to a room that featured a wooden bed which was low down on the floor. She explained that it was the exact bed that Sweeney had tied her to, after she told him that she wanted him to move out and didn't want to go out with him anymore.
She explained that "the door burst open" after she tried to end the relationship and go to bed in peace. In a chilling retelling of her story, Delia shared how he tied her up by her wrists and ankles after violently pinning her down.
The survivor said: "At first I struggled, and I found out that it's best not to struggle because he fixed it so that the rope would get tighter and tighter."
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The narrator, voiced by the drama series actress Anna Maxwell Martin, explained that the bed was the exact one that Delia had been tied to all of those years ago. The killer also had a knife and a gun, which he is said to have waved around while threatening his victim.
Delia was sadly assaulted multiple times over the period of a week before Sweeney decided to let her go. However, at the time she was too scared to go to police over fears that he would attack her again.
The documentary also showed that Delia had kept other belongings of Sweeney's, including a number of disturbing artworks that he had drawn and a table that he made.
Fans watching at home couldn't believe the admission of her still having his things, with one admitting that the programme had sent "shivers" down their spine.
Posting on Twitter, one user said: "I don't understand why the real Delia Balmer would keep anything relating to John Sweeney - the table he made, the bed he tied her to, his drawings... I'd want completely rid!"
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Another added: "Watching #UntilIKillYou The Real Story, it’s sending shivers down my spine...," with a third posting: "I’m surprised that Delia still has all the furniture John made tbh #untilikillyou."
A fourth shared: "#UntilIKillYou Wow.. Delia still has all the furniture and the bed that that monster made (& mattress by the looks of it). Jeez! I'd have burnt the lot."
While holding Delia hostage, Sweeney admitted to the murder of his former partner, Melissa Halstead, whose dismembered body was found in a Rotterdam canal in 1990.
Sweeney went on to murder Paula Fields in 2000. He was eventually found guilty of the murder of Melissa and Paula and was sentenced to life in prison in 2011.
The horrific true story was turned into a drama on ITV, which aired last weekend, with Ludwig star Anna Maxwell-Martin portraying Delia and Shaun Evans as Sweeney.
