ITV weather presenter Ruth Dodsworth daughter has bravely spoken out about the relentless abuse her mother faced at the hands of her father.
The 46-year-old, who hosts the weather on ITV Wales, was subjected to nine years of relentless abuse, harassment and stalking from her ex-husband Jonathan Wignall.
He was jailed in April last year after pleading guilty to coercive behaviour and stalking, and was sentenced to three years in jail, as well as a restraining order preventing him from contacting Ruth.
The TV star spoke about her traumatic ordeal during ITV Tonight's Controlled by My Partner? The Hidden Abuse programme, and Ruth’s daughter Grace, 18, also discussed the impact her father’s manipulative behaviour had on their family, and how it was a “normal” part of their lives.
“This was our reality, this was our lives, it was normal for us. And then all of a sudden we're having all these professionals telling us that's not right, and everything we've known is pretty much gone,” Grace explained.
Ruth said that it wasn’t until her own children feared for her safety, she realised it “wasn’t normal”.
She previously recalled an incident in which her children messaged her, urging her not to return home otherwise their father would kill her.
Ruth said her husband would call her “dozens of times a day”, wanting to know where she was and who she was with.
“He would check my phone and even delete contacts from it. He would turn up at my workplace, or insist that I leave the studio to eat lunch with him in his car,” she explained.
In October 2019, she finally called the police and Jonathan was arrested, but Ruth is still fearful for her safety, after it was revealed he could be released later this year on licence after serving less than half of his sentence.
“I can't pretend I'm not scared, but I am trying to stay positive,” she confessed.
“Because my future is bright and my smiles are genuine now and I want anyone experiencing this abuse to know you are not alone. There is help available and you don't have to live in fear,” Ruth stated.
Tonight - Controlled by My Partner? The Hidden Abuse airs tonight at 8.30pm, ITV
