Delia Balmer shares ongoing struggle with anger after surviving John Sweeney attack in new documentary

The harrowing docu-series Until I Kill You is concluding on ITV, and its insightful companion documentary Until I Kill You: The Real Story is primed to broadcast on November 7.

This hour-long special delves into the heinous acts of John Sweeney, focusing on known victims such as American model Melissa Halstead and mother-of-three Paula Fields, whose bodies he gruesomely dismembered and disposed of in canals.

Audiences will grasp the true horror as Sweeney's grisly deeds are detailed.

Also featured in the documentary is Delia Balmer, a survivor of Sweeney's near-fatal rampage in 1994. Now in her seventies, she endures both physical and mental scars from her ordeal with the serial killer.

Delia expresses her unyielding quest for truth: "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."

She reveals the ongoing turmoil she battles daily, saying: "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."

The reflection she finds in her mirror appears alien to her: "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."

Delia, who was an agency nurse, recounts how her life became intertwined with Sweeney's after meeting him at a pub. He swiftly insinuated himself into her London home, and it wasn't long before his violent nature was revealed.

Delia recounts the harrowing night when Sweeney assaulted her with an axe outside her home, a nightmare event that nearly claimed her life.

Reflecting on the support she received afterwards, Delia 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 further added that among those who provided assistance, "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."

Anna Maxwell-Martin, who portrayed her in a screen adaptation, revealed her approach to understanding Delia's experiences: "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."

She noted meeting Delia briefly during production, stating: "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