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Topics: TV And Film, ITV, True Crime
Gregory Robinson
Anne Darwin has broken her silence on the popular ITV true crime drama The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe.
The four-part series is based on a book written by journalist David Leigh, who was the first person to interview Anne while she was living in Panama.
Leigh was interviewed by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning about the true crime series and told of Anne’s rather unsatisfied reaction to the show.
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Hear Anne's response in the video below:
The journalist also divulged his unlikely friendship with Anne. “She was being disowned by everybody and she was in my care. I didn’t want anything to happen to her,” he explained.
“It’s unusual to have a friendship with someone who you write a story about, but I wrote to her, gave her all the encouragement I could, and went to visit her.
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The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe is based on the true story of John Darwin, who attempted to fake his own death in 2002 in a bid to claim life insurance and pay off his debts.
His wife Anne had to convince the police and their two sons that he was dead after a fabricated canoe accident at sea.
The couple eventually escaped to Panama but after a police investigation was launched in September 2007, and a change in visa laws, they both returned to the UK that December and Anne confessed to knowing that he had been alive all along.
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Anne pleaded not guilty during her trial however, she was sentenced to six years and six months for fraud and money-laundering in 2008 after an extensive investigation uncovered the truth.
John was sentenced to six years. They eventually separated and Anne was released from prison in 2011.
All four episodes of The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe are available to watch on ITV Hub right now.