THE INVISIBLE WOMAN

The true story tells of the secret love affair between Dickens and the young theatre actress Nelly Ternan. Dickens was 45 when he met Ternan, then 18, in 1857. Their relationship remained secret from the public, even after Dickens's separation from his wife the following year. Ternan travelled with the author for the rest of his life. After his death, she continued the Dickensian love of deception: she married a man 12 years her junior, having disguised her own age as 23, rather than 37; and hid her past relationship with the most famous writer of the day. As a result, Ternan’s story is one of someone who almost wasn’t there; who vanished into thin air. Her name, dates, family and experiences very nearly disappeared from the record for good.