Inside Lucy Boynton’s very private life including Oscar-winning ex-boyfriend
She's now dating an X Factor star.
Lucy Boynton is hitting screens tonight in the premiere of A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story.
The 31-year-old British-American actress takes on the role of the last woman to be executed in the UK, telling the story of Welsh nightclub hostess Ellis who was sentenced to death in 1955 following the fatal shooting of her lover, David Blakely.
The tragic ITV drama, based on the real-life case, reveals Ellis’ tumultuous upbringing being abused by her father before working as an escort and suffering shocking acts of violence at the hands of men.
One of them was a racing driver named David Blakely, to whom she became pregnant, despite the fact he was engaged to another woman.
Ellis sought revenge after he caused her to miscarry by punching her in the stomach, and was arrested immediately after he shot him five times.
She was found guilty by a jury within 20 minutes after being asked only one question by the prosecution, and the mother-of-two, then aged 28, was hanged on July 13 at Holloway Prison.
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Previous Page Next PageFollowing Ellis’ case – which was marred by misogyny and classism – there was increased support for the end of the death penalty, which was abolished in 1965. Her case also led to the introduction of diminished responsibility as a defence.
Speaking about the role, Lucy said: ‘It was different than I expected, and it was more intense than I’d anticipated.’
She continued to The Italian Reve: ‘I realized very quickly there was no neutrality when approaching this topic and there was no neutrality when approaching her case.’
‘I was 29 when I was playing her and she was 28 when she was executed, so that parallel was really affecting – she had lived so much life in such a small time frame,’ she went on.
Lucy spoke about how ‘intense’ the new role is (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)‘I had a really accessible comparative point of the life that I’ve lived, the society I have the privilege of living in, which still has a long way to go before it becomes equal, but it’s immensely improved since the landscape she lived in.
‘So, it was a really intense research process, and the actual filming of it was really hard.
When you work on a dark piece with dark material, if it’s fiction, you learn how to leave that at work, but when it’s a true story, it’s different.
‘I was really rattled by it and really plagued by it and I didn’t know how to leave it alone because the thing that was affecting me was the reality of the injustice.’
The tragic ITV drama tells a true story (Picture: ITV/Des Willie/Shutterstock)Ahead of A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story airing on ITV tonight, we’ve taken a look inside its leading star’s private life.
Who is Lucy Boynton dating?Lucy is currently dating Murdo Mitchell, with the couple having been pictured at several events together in recent months.
Lucy is dating singer Murdo Mitchell (Picture: Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Vogue)Scottish musician Murdo, 25, is a singer and songwriter, and had a brief stint on The X Factor in 2014.
He released his debut EP Stay Nocturnal in 2021 and has played various festivals across the country, as well as a headline UK tour in 2023.
The couple were first rumoured to be dating in September 2023, when they were seen kissing and cuddling during a stroll in Soho.
The pair tend to keep their relationship out of the spotlight (Picture: Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images)Despite both being in the public eye, the pair have kept their relationship firmly out of the spotlight.
Lucy Boynton’s relationship historyLucy was previously in a relationship with Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek.
Lucy previously dated Rami Malek (Picture: JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty Images)The pair starred alongside each other in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody back in 2018, where Rami played Freddie Mercury and Lucy appeared as his on-screen girlfriend Mary Austin.
They started dating shortly afterwards, but split after five years together in 2023.
At the time, it was reported the pair had ‘grown apart’, with a source saying: ‘Rami and Lucy split earlier this year without much fanfare.
The pair began dating after starring opposite each other in Bohemian Rhapsody (Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)‘They were together for a long time but had grown apart. They are both moving on with their lives and are busy with work.’
The insider added to The Sun: ‘They are both moving on with their lives and are busy with work. Rami has surrounded himself with his mates and has spent the summer enjoying himself.’
While Lucy is private about her current relationship, Rami had spoken publicly about his then-girlfriend many times, including once when he paid tribute to her while accepting one of his many accolades at the International Film Festival’s Film Awards Gala.
They split after five years of dating (Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Speaking from the stage, Rami said: ‘Thank you, Lucy Boynton. You have been my ally, my confidant, my love. Thank you so much.’
Lucy Boynton’s career so farLucy made her acting debut as a child, playing the young Beatrix Potter in 2006 film Miss Potter.
She went on to star in TV productions of Ballet Shoes, Sense and Sensibility and Mo, and later played Angelica Garnett in the BBC’sLife in Squares.
Lucy has starred in various film and TV series over two decades (Picture: Manny Carabel/WireImage)In 2017, Lucy played Countess Andrenyi in Murder on the Orient Express, before Bohemian Rhapsody’s success in 2018.
She also held roles in Sing Street, and Netflix series Gypsy The Politician.
More recently, Lucy starred opposite Kit Harington is the second season of anthology series Modern Love on Amazon Prime.
She also played a role in ITV miniseries The Ipcress File, in the Britbox adaptation of Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? and as Proust Barbie in Margot Robbie’s Barbie.
A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story airs on ITV1 at 9pm tonight.
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