What happened to Joan Hannington?
ITV's new crime drama Joan is inspired by the life and crimes of Joan Hannington, the UK's most notorious jewel thief who is portrayed by Sophie Turner in the series.
Hannington became a part of the criminal world in the 1980s when she began to steal diamonds both for the thrill of it and to raise money to get her daughter, Debbie, out of foster care. The series recreates the events that led to Hannington losing her child, as well as her first foray into swallowing jewels and her eventual rise to notoriety.
But viewers may come out of the show wondering, what of the real Joan Hannington? Here is everything that you need to know.
What happened to Joan Hannington?
Hannington's story became public knowledge when she wrote her memoir I Am What I Am in 2002, the book gained huge recognition and led to her being interviewed on shows like The Richard and Judy Show and The Montel Williams Show in the early 2000s.
Read more: Sophie Turner says playing ex-thief Joan Hannington was the 'thrill of her career'
Her memoir recounts her abusive childhood and her experiences in adulthood that led to her turning to a life of crime, namely her desire to beat the system that "f**ked [her]" by taking her daughter away from her. During her first few months as a jewel thief Hannington met her future husband, and accomplice, Boisie Hannington — an antiques dealer and professional thief.
The couple were together for eleven years, and during that time there were "millions —several millions— going through [their] hands." In her book, Hannington wrote: "In the Eighties we were among those early criminals to be in the millionaire league.
Hannington is now retired from being a jewel thief, but she worked closely with the team behind Joan to ensure that her story was told right. Ann Symon, the show's creator, explained at a press conference that she and Hannington had long discussions about what should be included in the series.
"Luckily, she approved of my ideas," Symon said. "The first thing she said was 'I don't want you to do this unless you're going to tell the warts and all'. By which she meant that she wanted her childhood included in it, which we come on to later in the series, because I think she wanted people to know this behaviour came from somewhere."
Speaking at a press conference for the series, Hannington heaped praise on Turner's portrayal: "I think she's great, and I think everybody here knows me well enough [to know] that if I didn't like it I'd say so."
While she is happy with the show, Hannington also expressed how strange it feels to have her life in the spotlight again with a new drama as she added: "To be sitting here at 68 with my son and my granddaughter, talking about me, I still find it a bit... I'm not a showbiz person, I'm a very private person and I just find it amazing."
Joan premieres on Sunday, 29 September at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/joan-hannington-where-now-sophie-turner-itv-095432142.html
