ITV weather presenter Ruth Dodsworth has opened up about her fears at the prospect of her ex-husband being released from prison.
The 46-year-old broadcaster's former partner Jonathan Wignall was jailed for a three year sentence one year ago after he pleaded guilty to stalking and coercive control.
Ruth - who is a familiar face on ITV Wales - appeared on Loose Women to discuss his potential release with the ITV panellists, after recently telling fans she had installed alarms "everywhere" at home.
With Wignall’s imminent release possible, panellist Katie Piper asked the broadcaster about her faith in the Parole Board, saying: “We're hearing now your ex had a three year sentence, but could be out in a year.”
Ruth replied: “Even worse than that, he could have been out now, because what they don't tell you is, yes you've got to serve a minimum, he was told that by the judge, but then four months prior to that he can apply for early home release. So, yes, he'd be tagged, but he'd still be out.”
She continued: “You can't keep people behind bars forever. Everyone has rights, but it was a year ago today that the judge said to him, ‘You're evil and you're a danger to your wife and your children’. How much of that has changed?
“The judge told him, ‘You've shown no remorse’.”
Ruth added: “People say to me, do I think he got long enough? That's such a difficult question because I never set out to send him to prison.
“I'm human and I've had to wrestle with the fact that I feel I've sent this man to prison. He's my children's father.
“The police have been so fantastic in saying, ‘You're not doing this. He's doing this to himself’.
“So, it's such a difficult question to ask how long he should have got, because at the end of the day everyone's different. I would like to think and hope he would come out a better person.”
Ruth, who married Wignall in 2002, has spoken of how she felt 'robbed' of the happiest times of her life because of her 'volatile' ex-husband.
At the sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court, it was revealed that during their marriage, Jonathan read through her messages, stopped her seeing friends and even put a tracker in her car.
He would often turn up at Ruth's work unannounced and force the weather presenter to spend time with him.
The court also heard that he was physically abusive and caused Ruth to suffer from fractured ribs, and even stopped her from travelling to filming locations without him.
The situation came to a head in 2019 when Jonathan called her more than 150 times in one day and Ruth was left fearing for her safety.
Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV
