Love you to death - channel 4

[autumnleavesonthefloor]

Is anyone else watching?

I can’t say a lot because it’s very outing but I grew up with this family. So surreal seeing it all like this. They’re some of my earliest memories.

He didn’t

I get she’s probably a very ruthless woman. What I don’t understand is the father saw things that didn’t add up, ie the eating and drinking, but he didn’t speak up. He could have. He had the chance every time he left the house, when he went to work, to raise the alarm, but he failed to. The poor boy was let down by him imo.

Yes, because he’s to blame, and not the mother.

She was horrifically abusive to everyone around her.

I find it absolutely fascinating that she managed to get away with it for so long and can’t understand how the hospital and all the medical professionals allowed him to have a feeding tube and treatment for his supposed allergies/ailments. Was there no controlled testing or evidence of anything? Surely if he had been severely allergic to everything he would’ve been rushed to hospital to receive treatment at some point at least initially. The poor boy and his sister, it must be awful to know they were put through that for no reason. And I find it odd the mother is still defending herself when she was actually found guilty and jailed!

It’s baffling. I guess it’s because prison doesn’t really focus on why she did it, just that she did. Her mental illnesses have never been treated.

No. The mother was to blame. However, imo (because I am allowed an opinion) the father let the child down too. He saw what was going on, but he stood back and said nothing when he should have said something.

It’s hard to know what he knew, though. He was the only working parent, and he was investigated and cleared of any wrongdoing.

Yes the fact she’s speaking on the documentary to defend herself is obviously because she still doesn’t think she’s done anything wrong. The way she talked about the supposed rape and then said it didn’t happen but in her head it did, makes no sense and sounds like shes living in a fantasy.

It’s harrowing. I remember it so clearly, I was terrified of stepping foot outside of my house because she told me it could happen to me! She was desperate for attention

Well, up thread when I queried if he’d seen the child eating and drinking you said he had. You’re the one who’s saying you knew the family and grew up around them so I’m only going on that.

All I know is, if one of my children was eating and drinking normally while they supposedly weren’t able to, I’d be asking questions.

You’ve never been in that scenario with an abusive partner. She constantly made accusations, spun people around on themselves, she’s like the worst form of malignant narcissist going. He’s been incredibly private since it all happened, and he moved far away and stayed out of the spotlight. Only he knows to what extent he knew.

It’s a bit like Gypsy Rose and many other cases it’s hard to understand how the medical professionals allowed this to happen but it seems to be very possible!

I don’t understand how a child would end up on home oxygen if they didn’t need it. Surely the oxygen levels would be checked during one of the many inpatient stays / outpatient appointments?

Plus sleep studies, in and out of oxygen.

I've just watched the 1st episode, I had seen the young man on this morning and set sky to record, his interview had me opened mouth, like someone else said it was very like gypsy rose.

As a full time carer to my seriously disabled DD I spent and still do a lot of time in hospitals, more so in the beginning for all the big testing and hand on heart it is extremely upsetting and heartbreaking watching your child go through these tests and you wouldn't wish it on anyone and I can't understand a person's thinking to believe/want their child to be sick when tests came back normal. My DD had the barium meal test 😔 😭 this is only one test there's more, so I'm guessing all these tests were carried out but they would have come back normal as they can't fit a tube without doing them. I'm fascinated as to how she convinced doctors. Hopefully in the other episodes they can explain.

The dad, I won't comment yet until I see the whole programme but I am also a little confused as to how he didn't know ? Or did he know and was afraid of her ? I know my own DH who works around the clock still has his days off and is involved in the care of our DD so knows meds and everything inside out , so I'm assuming for now he knew .

Op it is very interesting hearing your side and getting an insight into how she was, I can imagine the type of personality you describe and it's shocking that she use to speak to you as children like that, if that's how she was with neighbours god only know what she was like behind closed doors.

Those poor kids/adults now is there any healing from that type of abuse.

It's a bit scary that she's out of prison now and just wandering around in the community. Who knows who her next victims will be and what she's capable of

Is English not your first language or are you picking a fight? Genuinely interested.

I had a similar, although not as extreme, childhood. Multiple unecessary surgeries which made my mother looks like a 'poor dear brave' lady. Fucked me up and I'm still bearing the physical and mental scars. Not sure if I can bring myself to watch it

Haven’t watched this yet, but I recently watched that doc about Ruby Frankie the Mormon influencer who had six children and the story is similar. Also, the children’s father is interviewed at length during that and it’s incredible that he claims he didn’t know what was happening. (Doc available on Disney and BBC).

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/19/love-you-to-death-review-channel-4-lisa-hayden-johnson

This review thinks the mother got off lightly and there are more questions than answers.

I think it helped her that medical records were still on paper then. Nowadays I assume the GP would be able to see she hadn't been to Great Ormond Hospital

In a small town like that where everyone knows each other you would be growing upwith people

I've only watched the first episode but I wonder what she was doing when the little boy was screaming. Sounded horrendous

Was she prosecuted for the false report of rape ? The way she said it didn't happen but to her it still happened had me perplexed. She obviously has some kind of mental illness that craves pity and attention, or got caught in lies and decided the only way to get out of trouble was to tell more lies

Shame this is streaming weekly. Really interesting story. I think some people do become addicted to the attention a sick child brings. I had a premature baby and I hated the attention.

It's 3 episodes and the last 2 are tonight