Entertainment
The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe: Does John Darwin speak to his sons?Sabrina Barr
Mark and Anthony Darwin were devastated when they thought their dad had died (Picture: ITV/PA)
Tonight, the final episode of The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe is due to air on ITV, revealing the conclusion of John Darwin and Anne Darwin’s story.
Starring Eddie Marsan and Monica Dolan in the cast, the four episodes in the series have dramatised the true story of how the real-life couple faked John’s death in 2002 to claim life insurance money, pretending that he had died at sea after heading out on his canoe.
Not only did they dupe the authorities, but their sons Mark and Anthony – played by Mark Stanley and Dominic Applewhite respectively – were also led to believe that their dad had died.
While viewers have been left gripped by the drama, many have also found themselves fascinated to learn more about what happened at the time, with the couple eventually being caught after a photo of them taken in Panama in 2006 ended up on the internet.
When Mark and Anthony found out what their parents had done, they announced to the public that they didn’t want contact with their parents. So what has happened since?
Does John Darwin speak to his sons?
While Anne is back in contact with her sons, after they publicly denounced both of their parents, with John it’s another story.
Eddie portrays the mastermind behind the plan in the drama (Picture: ITV/PA/PA Archive)
During an appearance on This Morning, journalist David Leigh, who tracked Anne down in Panama and was the one who originally broke the story, shared an update on their family lives.
David, who’s since formed a close friendship with Anne and co-wrote the book Out Of My Depth with her, said that while it ‘wasn’t an overnight thing’, she was able to rebuild her relationship with her sons, and now has them back in her life along with her four grandchildren.
The journalist explained that John ‘said one of the reasons he wanted to come back [to the UK] was he missed his sons so much and he knew one day they’d have kids and wanted to be a grandfather, but he has no contact with them at all’.
The writer then clarified that he understands John is in touch with one of his sons, but ‘the other one has completely disowned him’.
Anthony and Mark Darwin have rebuilt their relationship with their mum, Anne (Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
David also wrote the book The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe, on which the ITV drama is based.
Is he out of prison now?
John is now out of prison, having been released in 2011 two months before his wife.
He was originally sentenced to six years and three months in prison in July 2008, while Anne received a slightly longer sentence of six years and six months.
Anne, played by Monica, received a longer sentence than her husband (Picture: Rex/ITV)
Where is he now?
Following his release in prison, John met his second wife, Mercy Mae, online.
More: ITV
The married couple now live in Manila in the Philippines, where he helps her by working on a market stall.
Anne, on the other hand, still lives in the UK and is based in the north of England, having retired.
The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe returns tonight at 9pm on ITV and is available to watch on ITV Hub.
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