ITV's gripping four-part drama The Lady tells the shocking true story of Jane Andrews, a former dresser to Sarah Ferguson who was convicted of murder. The series, created with the help of the team behind The Crown, explores the events leading up to the headline-making crime and its devastating aftermath.
Andrews, played by Mia McKenna-Bruce, rose from a humble working-class background in Grimsby to the opulence of Buckingham Palace after securing a job as a dresser to the then-Duchess of York (portrayed by Natalie Dormer) in 1988. Their friendship continued through Ferguson's divorce from Prince Andrew, but eventually fizzled out, leaving Andrews bereft at losing access to the royal world.
Born in April 1967, Andrews struggled with severe mental health issues as a teenager, attempting to take her own life at age 15. After recovering, she studied fashion and worked at Marks & Spencer before answering an anonymous job advert in The Lady magazine that transformed her life. She became a valuable emotional support to Ferguson during the breakdown of the latter's marriage.
Andrews was made redundant in November 1997, a cost-cutting exercise that took her by surprise and left her deeply depressed. She later met businessman Thomas Cressman, but their relationship ended in horror when she murdered him in his sleep using a cricket bat and a knife. Earlier that evening, Cressman had called police fearing one of them would get hurt, but officers never arrived.
The prosecution argued that Andrews killed Cressman out of anger over his desire to end their relationship. She was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Lady continues tonight on ITV1.
