As soon as I saw that ITV’s new four-part series was from the producers of The Crown I was intrigued, but The Lady is a totally different royal drama. Based on true events, it centres on the much-publicised rise and fall of Jane Andrews, who worked as Sarah Ferguson's dresser for nine years.
Her friendship and working relationship with the former Duchess of York was fascinating and The Lady, which has been described as a "toxic fairytale", depicts Jane’s arrest for the murder of her boyfriend Thomas Cressman.
Given that even the most faithful of life-to-screen adaptations stray a little from the facts, many viewers will likely have been left wondering how much of what they see and hear on the ITV drama series really happened. Here I explain the truth behind The Lady and if Jane Andrews really murdered Thomas and went to prison.
*This article contains spoilers and discussion of sensitive subject matters*
Did Jane Andrews kill Thomas Cressman?
Shocking as it sounds, Jane Andrews did kill her boyfriend Thomas ‘Tommy’ Cressman in 2000. The Lady’s version of events is understandably tweaked for TV and, respectfully, they didn't show the murder itself on-screen. Writer Debbie O’Malley has revealed that from the beginning they knew they didn’t want to depict this violence, adding that there was "nothing to be gained" from that, as "it was never disputed that Jane killed Tommy".
Although Jane Andrews was no longer Sarah Ferguson’s dresser (she left as an employee in 1997) when she committed murder, she was still well-known for this former role. She and Tommy had been to the French Riviera on a disastrous holiday.
Following this, on 16th September, he’s reported to have called 999, saying, "We are rowing, someone is going to get hurt unless… I would like police to come and split us up". The next day Tommy Cressman was hit by Jane with a cricket bat whilst in bed before being stabbed.
As reported by The Telegraph, Jane was found in her car in a lay-by and had taken an overdose of painkillers. Prior to her arrest, Jane apparently received answerphone messages from Sarah urging her to contact the police.
In court, Jane Andrews claimed that she had acted in self-defense after facing abuse. This was vehemently countered by the prosecution and Tommy’s family during the four-week trial and it was suggested that she killed him in a rage after he refused to marry her.
Did Jane Andrews go to prison for murder?
Jane Andrews was convicted of murdering Thomas Cressman in May 2011 and received a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years. She ended up serving 14 and was released on license before returning to prison in 2018 after being accused of harassment by a past boyfriend.
Sarah Ferguson’s former dresser was then finally released in 2019. Jane had previously appealed her sentence in 2003 but her appeal was rejected. She was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder after being convicted.
Reflecting upon the real person that inspired Mia McKenna-Bruce’s fictional counterpart in The Lady, Debbie O’Malley said that they wanted to understand the person behind the headlines.
"Clearly this woman had killed somebody," she shared. "But the way she was written about… in very extreme terms painted a picture of a sort of monstrous figure. The more we dug into who she really was and her history, and the struggles she had throughout her life… it’s about understanding the human behind the headlines. Which doesn’t mean you’re forgiving, or looking to apportion blame in other places, but to understand how someone could get to that point."
Did Jane Andrews escape from prison?
As much as it sounds like fiction, Jane Andrews briefly escaped from East Sutton Park Prison in 2009 before being found by police two days later. It’s been widely reported that she was discovered in a Premier Inn in Maidstone with her parents who had driven to find her. She later returned to custody.
The Lady airs on ITV on Sundays and Mondays, with the finale airing on Monday 2nd March.
