Diane Cole, from Hartlepool, married Steve Wright in August 1987(Image: Daily Mirror)
The former wife of “Suffolk Strangler” Steve Wright has told how she left the serial killer after fearing for her own life. As Steve Wright admitted killing a sixth victim Victoria White, his former partner also shared her belief that he may have murdered more.
Ms Cole, from Hartlepool, married Wright after meeting him on the Queen Elizabeth II cruise ship in the mid-1980s. She was in her early 20s and worked on cruise liners as a window dresser while Wright was a steward.
After marrying in 1987, they ran the Ferry Boat Inn, in Norwich, together and Wright owned a bungalow in Essex. Ms Cole said it was an abusive and violent marriage that lasted less than a year.
Regarding her suspicions that Wright was capable of murder, she said: “I always thought he would either end up murdering a wife or a girlfriend. You couldn’t read him at all.
“He just changed like the weather.” When asked if she ever feared for her own life, Diane said: “Of course I did, that’s why I got out.”
This week, Wright admitted kidnapping and murdering 17-year-old Victoria Hall in September 1999. The teenager’s naked body was discovered in a ditch after she had enjoyed a night out with a friend in Felixstowe.
Wright is already serving a whole life sentence for killing five women in 2008 around Ipswich – Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls. He never admitted to their murders but was found guilty by a jury following a trial at Ipswich Crown Court.
He will be sentenced for killing Ms White on Friday. Ms Cole said she didn’t read the latest news but had been informed about it on the phone.
“I already knew they were going to get him for that one,” she said. “The good thing is that he has admitted this one at last.”
When asked if she thinks he killed others, she said: “I believe so. I just want him to start telling the truth about everything now. The families – they need the info.”
Following the breakdown of her marriage, Ms Cole moved back to her native Hartlepool. In 1997, she tragically lost both of her legs after contracting meningitis.
She said she still suffers with health problems while Wright’s crimes continue to haunt her to this day. She told Teesside Live of her suspicions that Wright was involved in the unsolved murder of Suzy Lamplugh.
Ms Cole worked with Ms Lamplugh on the QE2 liner and said Wright, who was her boyfriend at the time, knew them both. Ms Lamplugh was last seen in Fulham and reported missing in July 1986 when she was 25.
The estate agent had left her office to meet a prospective client and was never seen again. No body was found and she was officially declared dead, presumed murdered, in 1994.
Previously, Ms Cole reportedly told media that Wright had shore leave around the time of Ms Lamplugh’s disappearance. Speaking on Thursday this week, she said: “I just want to know what happened to Suzy Lamplugh because she was on the ship.
“He didn’t drive at the time but it makes you wonder was he in on it with somebody else? He did speak with her on the ship.
“Police have spoken to me about it but we’ve still got nowhere. I haven’t been able to move on from it all.
“I’ve still got a photo of her in the kitchen to remind me of her. I wasn’t particularly friends with her but I served her plenty of times in the shop on the ship.”
Ms Cole said he had no contact with Wright after she left him. “Not all, I wouldn’t want to,” she said.
“I’m disgusted by him. He’s a monster.”
