Delia Balmer admits 'My life is opposite of perfect' as she opens up about John Sweeney attack in ITV documentary

ITV's chilling series Until I Kill You is coming to an end and tomorrow, November 7, the revealing documentary Untill I Kill You: The Real Story will be broadcast.

The hour-long documentary delves into the lives of the victims who fell prey to Sweeney, including American model Melissa Halstead and the mother of three, Paula Fields.

Audiences will learn the gruesome truth that Sweeney indeed dismembered his victims and disposed of their remains in canals.

Delia Balmer, who narrowly escaped death at the hands of the serial killer in 1994, talks about her survival. Now in her seventies, she remains deeply affected by both the physical and psychological scars of her encounter.

She shares her thoughts, stating: "My concern has always been to get the truth out by whatever means. I remain an angry person. Sweeney was let out on bail. The police gave me insufficient protection before his final assault. Later, I was forced to go to court to be further traumatised by the system."

Looking back on her current situation, Delia mentions: "I am a perfectionist but my life is opposite of perfect. I often suffer from depression and anxiety, afraid of life and afraid of the future, a compulsive worrier."

Reflecting on her self-perception she adds: "When I look in the mirror I see a stranger. Certain physical pain, I will have for life. I am stuck. I cannot move on, and cannot go further. Fear holds me back from doing certain things."

Before the terror unfolded, Delia, then a working agency nurse, met Sweeney in a pub, which quickly led to him moving into her London residence, setting the stage for the horror that would soon become evident.

He subjected Delia to torture and imprisoned her in her own home on multiple occasions. Delia recounted the harrowing incident when Sweeney assaulted her with an axe right outside her residence, a night she nearly lost her life.

Reflecting on the help she got after surviving her ordeal, she shared: "I received 20 sessions from a clinical psychologist at a PTSD clinic."

"I refused to accept what was allowed to happen to me, and which was never acknowledged. My extreme anger remains."

She found solace in the support of various individuals: "A counsellor, also chaplain of the Middlesex Hospital at that time, and another man from MIND were the most helpful. Several other counsellors, all female, were of little benefit."

Actress Anna Maxwell-Martin described her approach to preparing for the role, opting for distance from the real-life source of her character.

Maxwell-Martin commented: "I don't choose to do that, that's how I work. Our writer, Nick, filmed a lot of footage of his meetings with Delia, which I had access to."

Her brief encounter with Delia was driven by circumstance rather than research: "I did meet her very briefly during filming, but only because she wanted to visit the set and of course I was respectful of that."

Until I Kill You: The Real Story airs on ITV on Thursday, November 7 from 9pm