New Milly Dowler book to shed light on her life and the family’s recovery

In the book, entitled My Sister Milly, Gemma Dowler will shed light on the “full story” of her family’s battle through the abduction of Milly and the discovery of her body, and the following high-profile trial and aftermath, including the press interest and the phone hacking scandal that surrounded her death.

Milly was 13 when she was snatched from the street while on her way from school to her home in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.

Serial killer Levi Bellfield is serving a whole-life tariff after being found guilty of abducting and killing Milly following a trial at the Old Bailey.

Gemma’s book, described as “a truly powerful story and one of triumph over adversity”, begins in 1988 – the year of Milly’s birth – and delves into her life as a child and her love of music, while the family have shared memories of her growing up.

Her story will be told right up until she was abducted, as well as the immediate and ongoing aftershock for the Dowlers.

My Sister Milly will give readers an insight into the “sassy, funny, outgoing, talented, eccentric, cheeky and loving, fashion guru, talented musician and much-loved daughter and sister” that the Dowlers will forever remember her as.

The family have been through several different methods to deal with their trauma to recover, but now – having been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2013 – the Dowlers have discovered a form of therapy to help them move forward, and are now able to tell their story.

A donation from the proceeds of the book is to be made to the charity Winston’s Wish, an organisation that supports children, young people and their families following the death of a parent or sibling.

My Sister Milly is published by Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House, and will be released on June 29.