Delia Balmer and David's Until I Kill You relationship in real life and what happened to them

True crime fans are gripped by Until I Kill You, ITV's new drama telling the chilling yet inspiring story of Delia Balmer who survived an axe attack by her serial killer ex-boyfriend.

The show has so far revealed how Delia, played by Anna Maxwell-Martin, relocated to a new home to get away following the incarceration of John Sweeney, played by Shaun Evans. As she tries to rebuild her life, she meets local taxi driver, David, played by Kevin Doyle.

David is quickly taken by Delia and soon asks her to come over for dinner at his place. Delia finds kindness and stability in David but does so on the backdrop of her trauma. The looming trial of Sweeny for Delia's attempted murder and then later, the murder trial of Sweeney's ex-girlfriends Paula Fields and Melissa Halstead, weigh heavy and the pair begin to argue, ultimately breaking up. But just who is the real life David?

READ MORE:What happened to Paula Fields? Until I Kill You John Sweeney's real life victims

READ MORE:John Sweeney now as ITV's Until I Kill You tells horrifying tale of 'cold blooded' serial killer

The actor

The actor who plays David, 64-year-old Kevin Doyle, is perhaps best known for playing Joseph Molesley in Downton Abbey. The North Lincolnshire-born actor also appeared in an episode of Heartbeat as Anthony Barlow.

In addition, he played Detective Sergeant John Wadsworth in Happy Valley and has had a role in Coronation Street.

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The real-life David

Not a huge amount is known about the real David but Kevin did go into detail about the role, speaking to ITV.

He said: "I’m not one of those actors who does a great deal of research if it isn’t necessary and I didn’t feel it was in this case, so I didn’t find out lots more about David, but Julia [Ford, director] set me straight on what she saw in the character..

"She said she wanted there to be something very calm and reassuring about him, and nice – she wanted as big a contrast as possible to the darkness Shaun was bringing as Sweeney. Given some of the parts I’ve played in the past, I can imagine the audience might see me onscreen initially and think, 'Oh God, Delia has met another one, she’s going from the frying pan into the fire!'.

"But no, David isn’t like that. There are aspects of David we diluted slightly, like the fact he was a very heavy smoker, but nevertheless Delia found comfort in the stability that David offered and he did seem to offer something loving.

"He was very generous with his time and his money, but nevertheless she just couldn’t fully commit to the relationship and they lasted three or four years together."

Its not known if Delia found someone else, but she continued to travel and works as a therapeutic masseuse. The end of the series shows her on a trip to South Africa in 2023.