Kate Kniveton, the former Conservative MP for Burton, Staffordshire, has revealed a decade of harrowing abuse inflicted by her ex-husband, Andrew Griffiths, also a former Tory MP, in a new ITV1 and ITVX documentary, Breaking the Silence: Kate’s Story. Kniveton, 54, alleges Griffiths raped her while she slept, physically assaulted her, and verbally abused their newborn daughter, shedding light on a nightmare hidden behind their seemingly perfect marriage.
Kate Kniveton, who waived her right to anonymity, detailed how Andrew Griffiths, a former women’s rights campaigner, sexually assaulted her during sleep, kicked her out of bed, and screamed at their two-week-old daughter to “shut the f*** up” when she cried for a feed. “It would start when I was asleep. I’d wake up, and he would have started having sex with me,” Kniveton said, recalling how she often cried during the assaults. She also recounted Griffiths dismissing her threats to report him, saying, “Nobody would believe you, Kate. I’m the MP here. I’ve got a great relationship with the police—they all think I’m the blue-eyed boy.”
The abuse, which spanned their marriage from 2013 to 2018, came to public attention after a 2021 family court ruling. Judge Elizabeth Williscroft found Griffiths, 51, had raped Kate Kniveton on multiple occasions, used coercive and controlling behavior, and physically assaulted her. The findings, made on the civil court’s balance of probabilities standard, were upheld despite Griffiths denying the rape allegations. In January 2024, Griffiths accepted all court findings except the rape charge, and a High Court ruling barred him from direct contact with his daughter, limiting him to sending letters four times a year.
Andrew Griffiths’ public image unraveled in 2018 when he resigned as a minister after sending over 2,000 sexually explicit texts to two female constituents, prompting Kniveton to leave the family home. She later ran against Griffiths in the 2019 election, winning the Burton seat. Kniveton faced further trauma in family courts, fighting to prevent Griffiths from seeing their child. She criticized the system, stating, “I am traumatized—not just by the 10 years of abuse I experienced—but by the following five years where he continued to use the legal system to abuse me.”
In the documentary, Kate Kniveton highlights systemic flaws in family courts, which handle approximately 30,000 domestic abuse cases annually. She emphasized that abuse transcends social boundaries, saying, “People don’t think it can happen to professional, middle-class people—but domestic abuse has no boundaries.” She also shared how Griffiths’ charisma initially masked warning signs, which she attributed to his high-pressure role.
Andrew Griffiths, in response to the documentary, maintained his denial of the rape allegations, claiming the family court’s lower burden of proof failed their child. “I will never stop fighting to be a father to my child,” he said, arguing that publicizing the allegations harms children.
Kate Kniveton’s story, aired on July 20, 2025, on ITV1 and ITVX. It aims to raise awareness about domestic abuse and advocate for family court reforms to better protect victims and children.
(Rh/Eth/MSM)