The ex-wife of Britain’s notorious Suffolk Strangler, Steve Wright, has spoken out with unflinching relief upon hearing of his arrest in connection with a chilling cold-case murder from more than two decades earlier.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline published on July 30, 2021, Diane Cole—Wright’s second wife—revealed her immediate reaction to news that the 63-year-old killer had been taken into custody at HM Prison Long Lartin in Worcestershire. “I heard about his arrest yesterday and my initial thoughts were ‘so be it’,” she said. “I hope that Victoria Hall’s family will eventually get some closure. I hope justice is done. I’m glad the job is getting done and being sorted out once and for all because I just want the truth out there.”

Cole, now living quietly in the North East of England, married Wright in 1987 after meeting him during his time working as a waiter on the QE2 cruise liner. Their union lasted only two turbulent years before ending in divorce in 1989. She has long described him as a controlling, violent “monster” who subjected her to brutal physical abuse that left lasting scars—both physical and emotional. “I’ve spoken before about my life with Steve and I don’t want to be dragged back all through that again,” she told the outlet. “It took over my life and wasn’t very pleasant for me.”

Her words underscore a profound sense of vindication. By the time Wright carried out the infamous 2006 Ipswich murders that earned him a whole-life prison sentence, he had long been out of her life. Yet the 2021 arrest—for the 1999 strangling of 17-year-old Victoria Hall—reopened old wounds while offering a grim confirmation of the darkness she escaped.

The Shadow of the Suffolk Strangler

Steve Wright, born Steven Gerald James Wright on April 24, 1958, became one of Britain’s most reviled serial killers when he was convicted in 2008 of murdering five women in Ipswich over a terrifying six-and-a-half-week period in late 2006. The victims—Tania Nicol (19), Gemma Adams (25), Anneli Alderton (24), Paula Clennell (24), and Annette Nicholls (29)—were all sex workers whose naked bodies were dumped in remote rural locations around the town. Forensic evidence, including tiny flecks of blood matching Paula Clennell’s DNA found in Wright’s Ford Mondeo, sealed his fate. He received a whole-life tariff, meaning he would die behind bars.

The killings plunged Ipswich into fear. Women avoided going out alone; the red-light district emptied as sex workers disappeared from the streets. Wright, a former forklift driver and merchant seaman, had paid for sex with all five victims and admitted contact but denied murder until the evidence overwhelmed him.

His background offered few clues to the monster within. After leaving school, he joined the Merchant Navy. He married first in 1978, fathering a son before divorcing. His second marriage—to Diane Cole—was brief and violent. She later recounted how beatings began soon after they met on the QE2, where she worked as a shop dresser. He slashed her clothes, attacked her with a knife over suspected infidelity, and once repeatedly slammed her head against a wall for folding bedsheets incorrectly. The abuse sent her to hospital more than once.

By the time of the Ipswich spree, Wright lived a seemingly ordinary life in a flat on London Road, Ipswich—paying for sex, drinking heavily, and keeping to himself. His arrest on December 19, 2006, came after a meticulous police operation involving surveillance, DNA, and witness statements.

The Cold Case That Wouldn’t Die: Victoria Hall’s Murder

The 2021 arrest stemmed from Operation Avon, a reopened investigation into the unsolved 1999 murder of Victoria Hall. The 17-year-old A-level student from Trimley St Mary vanished after a night out at the Bandbox nightclub in Felixstowe on September 18, 1999. She parted ways with a friend around 2:20 a.m. near Faulkner’s Way, bought chips from Bodrum Grill, and was never seen alive again.

Her naked body was discovered six days later—September 24—in a water-filled ditch in Creeting St Peter near Stowmarket, roughly 20-25 miles away. She had been strangled but not sexually assaulted. An earlier suspect, Adrian Bradshaw, was charged in 2001 but acquitted at trial.

The case languished until September 2019, when “significant new witness information” prompted Suffolk Police to revive it. Advances in forensic techniques, including pioneering DNA analysis, eventually linked Wright. On July 28, 2021, officers arrived at Long Lartin Prison to arrest him. Suffolk Police stated simply: “Police investigating the unsolved murder of a teenage girl from Trimley St Mary—which took place over 20 years ago—have made an arrest as part of the inquiry.”

Victoria’s parents, Graham and Lorinda Hall (both 67 at the time), had endured decades of anguish. Her father described her as a “fun-loving teenager” who was intelligent, hardworking, and dreaming of university. The family clung to hope for answers.

Diane Cole’s Long Shadow

Diane Cole’s interview offered a rare glimpse into the man before he became the Suffolk Strangler. She met Wright on the QE2, drawn initially to his charm. But the violence escalated rapidly. “Our marriage wasn’t great,” she reflected in earlier accounts. The couple divorced in 1989, and she rebuilt her life far from his orbit.

When the Ipswich murders dominated headlines in 2006, Cole felt a mix of horror and grim recognition. By then, Wright was no longer part of her world. Yet the 2021 arrest—for a crime committed in 1999, still during a period when echoes of their marriage lingered—brought everything rushing back.

“I’m glad the job is getting done,” she emphasized, focusing not on her own trauma but on justice for Victoria’s family. “By the time of the murders, Steve wasn’t in my life anymore, he’d gone.” Her hope was simple: truth and closure for those left behind.

Later developments amplified her story. In February 2026, Wright changed his plea at the Old Bailey, admitting guilt to Victoria Hall’s murder—the first time he publicly confessed to any killing. He also admitted attempting to kidnap 22-year-old Emily Doherty just 24 hours earlier in Felixstowe. Emily later accused police of dismissing her as a “silly little girl” when she reported the near-abduction, potentially allowing Wright to go on and kill Victoria—and, years later, five more women.

Cole, speaking to outlets like the BBC and ITV Anglia in 2026, urged him to “come clean” about any other victims. “He’s a monster,” she said. “I believe he killed others and I feel for their families.” She described being “haunted” by the possibility of more crimes, including potential links to missing estate agent Suzy Lamplugh (the pair worked together on the QE2 around the time Lamplugh vanished in 1986).

A Legacy of Horror and Unanswered Questions

Wright’s whole-life sentence for the Ipswich five was extended in 2026 with an additional 40 years for Victoria’s murder and the attempted kidnap. Mr Justice Bennathan told him: “You took Victoria’s life for reasons few will ever understand.” The judge highlighted Wright’s “significant attempts to cover his tracks,” including selling his car.

For Victoria’s family, justice arrived too late for her mother Lorinda, who passed away without seeing the conviction. Her father Graham spoke of profound sadness but relief: “She did know it was probably Steve Wright.”

Diane Cole remains a quiet figure, having escaped a violent marriage only to see her ex-husband revealed as one of Britain’s most prolific modern killers. Her gladness at his arrest—for a crime that extended his tally to six confirmed murders—reflects not vengeance, but a desire for truth in a saga of unimaginable cruelty.

The Suffolk Strangler’s shadow stretches long: from cruise ships to Ipswich streets, from a teenage girl’s final walk home to the enduring pain of families forever changed. Diane Cole’s words cut through the horror: sometimes, the greatest relief comes when the monster is finally held accountable, once and for all.