EASTENDERS star Gemma McCluskie was brutally murdered by her brother when she was just 29 years old.
The sickening story is examined in the new ITV true crime documentary Murder in the Family: True Crime Presents.
Gemma McCluskie pictured with her brother Tony, who murdered her
Gemma was killed in 2012 during a row over an overflowing bathtubRex Features
Who was Gemma McCluskie?
Gemma McCluskie was born in Shoreditch, London, on February 5, 1983.
She was best known for her role as Kerry Skinner in BBC soap EastEnders between 2000 and 2001.
Gemma also appeared in the children’s series No Sweat (1997).
Her life was tragically cut short when she was murdered by her sibling, Tony McCluskie, in March 2012.
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What happened to Gemma McCluskie?
Gemma McCluskie was murdered by her older brother Tony, then 35, in the flat they shared in Shoreditch, East London, during a row over an overflowing bath.
The skunk addict, who smoked 15 joints a day, hit her over the head at least twice before dismembering her body and dumping it in the canal.
Her death was initially treated as a missing person’s enquiry – after Gemma’s killer reported her missing.
Five days after she went missing, a member of the public sailing a barge discovered Gemma’s torso stuffed in a suitcase in Regent’s Canal.
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Tony McCluskie was arrested on suspicion of murder and a search of their flat found drops of blood in the bathroom and kitchen – as well as a missing knife.
CCTV footage from the day Gemma went missing showed Tony dragging a heavy suitcase into a taxi.
When was the EastEnders actress murdered?
Gemma was murdered on March 1, 2012.
She was 29 years old at the time of her death.
The brutal slaying came around 12 years after she first appeared in EastEnders as Robbie’s two-timing girlfriend Kerrie Skinner.
Gemma’s brother Tony was jailed for life in 2013 after being found guilty of murderRex Features
Where is Gemma’s brother Tony now?
Gemma’s brother Tony finally admitted to killing his sister during a 2013 trial at the Old Bailey.
But he insisted he couldn’t remember doing it, and that she’d attacked him first.
Despite admitting manslaughter he was found guilty of murder by jurors with an 11 to 1 majority.
The window cleaner was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years.
Murder in the Family: True Crime Presents
An episode of Murder in the Family: True Crime Presents focuses on the case of the killing of Gemma by her brother.
The show investigates the circumstances surrounding her death and explores the family dynamics and events leading to the crime.
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The show airs Friday, March 7, 2025, at 9pm on ITV1.
It is also available live or stream at a later date via ITVX, which also hosts previous episodes of the series.
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