I was UK’s most notorious jewel thief dubbed ‘The Godmother’ – I made MILLIONS thanks to my incredible gift

AS a blonde OAP decked retired successful a brace of stylish specs, Joan Hannington could walk for a emblematic pensioner with a spot of an oculus for fashion.

But the sweet-looking grandma was really erstwhile Britain’s astir ­notorious jewel thief, and she is present the ­subject of a caller self-titled ITV play telling her astonishing story.

In the 1980s, master-of-disguise Joan ­Hannington stole diamond rings by swallowing them successful high-class jewellery shops and netted £3MILLION successful recognition paper and cheque frauds.

The unassuming mum-of-two besides ­burgled state houses, changeable a man, survived an assassination bid and was widowed erstwhile an arson onslaught by her hubby went wrong.

She adjacent claims to person made emotion to her high-class thief hubby with £1million successful currency strewn connected their bed.

In her caller publication Joan, retired past week, she said: “Swallowing diamonds was my life, my buzz, my drug.

“It was the lone happening that I truly liked doing. To me, I had a gift.”

Last night, viewers saw the archetypal portion of her unthinkable communicative unfold successful ITV’s latest real-life drama.

And contiguous we uncover the astonishing information down six-part bid Joan, which features Game Of Thrones prima Sophie Turner successful the rubric relation and Frank ­Dillane arsenic her partner-in-crime hubby.

Sophie revealed: “She is 1 of the astir notorious figures successful the London criminal underworld, earning her the nickname ‘The Godmother’.

“A pistillate who goes astir her ­thriving and daring vocation arsenic a jewel thief, each portion trying to get her ­daughter backmost from societal services.

“A parent successful despair, swept up successful the exhilarating satellite of crime.”

Joan, present 67, was the youngest of six children calved to a mediocre Irish household surviving successful a assembly level successful Acton, West London.

She was conscionable 4 years aged erstwhile her stunning godmother, a glamorous redhead called Eloise, presented Joan with a bracelet inlaid with a solid stone.

‘I’ve got to person some’

Joan recalls: “For the archetypal clip successful my beingness I had thing beauteous that was each mine. That night, I dreamed of ­having money and diamonds. That acquisition was the inspiration that acceptable maine connected the way to large riches . . . illegally.”

By 13, she had near location to flight her convulsive father, Richard O’Leary.

The erstwhile boxing promoter, who ­suffered from tuberculosis, vented his choler connected his children, attacking them with whip-thin sticks that near scars.

Four years aboriginal Joan joined equipped robber Ray Pavey, past 27, and had her girl Debbie.

Like her father, Pavey was convulsive and erstwhile threw ammonia into her face, causing a squint successful her close oculus that is inactive evident 50 years later.

He besides threw Joan from a moving car. She aboriginal walked out, but had to permission down her girl Debbie, who was past taken into care.

Desperate to triumph backmost her child, Joan lied astir her insignificant transgression grounds to onshore a occupation with a high-class jewellers successful London’s West End.

She said: “I was determined to get Debbie backmost but I needed wealth and a spot to live.

“One day, I was sent to the harmless astatine the backmost of the shop, wherever the CCTV cameras didn’t operate, to ­collect immoderate escaped diamonds. I opened the harmless and trays of superb achromatic stones glittered backmost astatine me.

“My bosom galloping, I realised the accidental to marque immoderate instant wealth and regain custody of Debbie was ­staring maine close consecutive successful the face.

“I couldn’t judge my eyes. There were each these trays inside, and I’d ne'er seen specified large diamonds and emeralds — I conscionable thought, ‘F**k it. I’ve got to person immoderate of this’.

“I recovered the 4 trays they had sent maine to get, and each 1 of them was afloat of escaped stones.

"I lifted them retired of the harmless and turned to transportation them retired — and nary 1 was watching me, but I didn’t bash it then. I was sweating similar a pig and my bosom was going 10 to the dozen. I had to spell done 2 doors, past up the stairs to different office.

“I grabbed a fistful of diamonds disconnected each tray and swallowed them. I didn’t cognize it astatine the time, but I’d swallowed astir £800,000 of stones.”

“Twelve hours later, erstwhile quality had taken its course, I sterilised the gems successful a vessel of gin.

“Astonishingly, they were ne'er missed. I thought the jewels were worthy astir £10,000 and sold a ­couple done dodgy gem dealers.

“It was lone years later, erstwhile I had learned much astir diamonds, that I realised their existent value.”

Joan, who inactive suffers from ulcers from years of swallowing jewels, stashed the diamonds successful a tin buried successful the crushed adjacent her assembly level successful Islington, North London.

A fewer months aboriginal she discontinue moving astatine the jewellers and soon met a caller lover, Ronald Thomas Hannington, aka Benny Boisie.

Benny was 17 years older and an antiques dealer, a screen for his different beingness arsenic a high-class thief.

He taught her the tricks of his trade, including cheque and recognition fraud positive the finer points of stealing jewellery successful 1980s London.

“My marriage to Benny was supposedly what the Eighties were each about,” Joan says. “Fast cars, accelerated living, Michael ­Jackson astatine the apical of the charts, Dallas and Dynasty connected the TV. I loved the glamour of that period.

“We had a location that was similar a ­palace to whoever came there. Boisie had each country expertly decorated with Victorian and Edwardian gear, creation deco, creation nouveau.

“Our level lone outgo £27,110 from the council, yet we had astir £1million of cogwheel successful there.

"We ne'er had a level harmless oregon an alarm oregon adjacent a panic fastener — conscionable grilles connected each the doors, model locks and a load of weapons hidden astir the flat.”

In her erstwhile 2002 ­memoir, I Am What I Am, Joan revealed however she would publication into a five-star edifice specified arsenic The Ritz earlier ­arriving, draped successful a fur coat, astatine a high-end jewellery store successful a hired car with a chauffeur, to inquire to presumption their diamond rings.

With a push-up bra showing her cleavage to support antheral assistants ­distracted, Joan cautiously memorised details of the portion she wanted, earlier telling smitten unit she “was going distant to deliberation astir it”.

She would past committee a counterfeiter successful London’s Hatton Garden to marque a inexpensive replica, past instrumentality to look astatine the ringing again.

Wearing gloves, she made the swap, swallowing the jewel portion feigning a sneeze.

She would past manus the fake ringing backmost to the store assistant, inquire to bargain it aboriginal and permission a deposit utilizing a stolen recognition paper oregon with a bogus banker’s draft.

Joan said: “I would permission the store feeling ecstatic. I ne'er felt guilty. I knew the jewels and antiques were insured and I lone stole from radical who could spend it.

“Swallowing diamonds was my life, my buzz, my drug. It was the lone happening that I truly liked doing   . . . To me, I had a gift. The satellite was my signifier and I played my roles to perfection.

“I ne'er got the Oscar — I got the diamond instead.” Impressively, histrion Sophie, who played Sansa Stark successful GoT, was  taught Joan’s instrumentality of creating tons of saliva successful her rima to unit down the gems, this clip utilizing fakes made from coagulated jelly.

She reveals: “I was fixed gummy diamonds to swallow. But they were truthful sticky they didn’t travel disconnected the paper. So I ended up conscionable putting the existent ones successful my mouth.

“But they were cubic zirconia, and I didn’t swallow them.

“We needed to amusement it was an obsession — this fascination with this sparkly happening that’s been truthful ­unattainable her full life.”

Joan and Benny, who stashed their stolen millions successful slope vaults, bought luxury cars including a ­Ferrari, a Jaguar and a Mercedes.

‘I wrestled the gun’

On a whim they would alert first-class to New York, Miami, Marbella oregon Cyprus, staying successful the priciest suites successful the astir exclusive hotels.

Joan says: “I ever dressed successful decorator apparel and was weighed down with diamonds, Cartier watches and gold. At 1 stage, I had 11 fur coats and 2,000 pairs of shoes.”

In 1987, Joan gave commencement to their son, Benny junior, and chopped backmost connected her transgression activities.

But 3 years later, her ­husband was killed successful a botched multi-million-pound insurance fraud.

Boisie had acceptable occurrence to a warehouse, causing specified a immense detonation it was initially reported arsenic a suspected IRA weaponry attack.

She said: “It was the lowest constituent of my life. After Benny died, a business subordinate of his took retired a £75,000 declaration connected maine — although, fortunately the antheral paid to termination maine was a person of my husband’s and helium ran disconnected with his advance.

“Later, I got mixed up with a boy­friend who embezzled much than £1million from my business. So I cognize what it’s similar to beryllium robbed.”

The aforesaid antheral — a heroin addict — turned up 1 nighttime astatine Joan’s level and pointed a weapon astatine her.

She said: “I challenged him either to propulsion the trigger oregon leave.

“He didn’t bash either and I wrestled the weapon from him due to the fact that I tin combat arsenic pugnacious arsenic immoderate antheral — and changeable him. I missed 3 times and lone grazed his kneecap.”

That was the infinitesimal Joan turned her backmost connected transgression to bring up her lad successful an mean life.

She admitted: “The wealth ne'er brought maine immoderate pleasure. I decided to spell straight. I had much than capable wealth to past for life.”

Amazingly, Joan was lone ever prosecuted twice.

She was fixed a two-year probation bid for ­stealing a car to sojourn girl Debbie successful attraction and, aged 24, she was sentenced to 30 months successful Holloway Prison for utilizing a ­stolen chequebook.

Sadly, she was not capable to ­persuade societal services to manus backmost Debbie, whose sanction has been changed to Kelly successful the TV drama. But her lad Benny is present a 37-year-old rapper and Joan has a granddaughter.

Sophie says: “Sometimes erstwhile you’re doing a amusement similar this, and it’s ‘heisty’ and there’s diamonds and glamour, you get swept distant by it.

“You person to retrieve this was each to supply a unchangeable beingness for her daughter. It’s truly heart-breaking.”

•  Joan Hannington’s memoir, Joan: The True Story Of Britain’s Most Notorious ­Diamond Thief, is published by Ebury ­Spotlight. Joan continues connected ITV1 and ITVX, with occurrence 2 screening tonight.