Jane Dawn Elizabeth Andrews was born on April 1, 1967, in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England. Her father was a joiner, and her mother worked as a social worker. Jane was a bright and promising child. She did well in school, excelling in grammar school. However, her family faced financial difficulties. Due to their debt, they moved to a small townhouse in the nearby town of Grimsby. There, Jane attended Hereford Secondary School.

During her teenage years, Jane experienced several psychological challenges. She struggled with depression, panic attacks, and an eating disorder — conditions that today many people attempt to manage through therapy, self-reflection, or tools like guided mental health journals. At the age of 15, she attempted suicide by taking an overdose of pills after her mother found out that she had been skipping school. When Jane was 17, she became pregnant and had an abortion, which she later described as a very traumatic experience.

Despite her struggles, Jane pursued a career in fashion. She enrolled in a fashion course at the Grimsby College of Art. After completing her studies, Jane got a job designing children’s clothes at Marks & Spencer. At the age of 21, she answered an advertisement in The Lady magazine for a personal dresser. This led to an interview with Sarah, Duchess of York. Shortly after, Jane began working for the Duchess at Buckingham Palace. She earned a salary of £18,000, which allowed her to enjoy a relatively comfortable lifestyle. She even bought a new flat in Battersea Park.

In August 1990, Jane married Christopher Dunn-Butler, an IBM executive who was twenty years older than her. Their marriage lasted five years, ending in divorce. Jane often stated that the pressures of work contributed to their split. However, Christopher claimed that Jane had been unfaithful during their marriage. Jane admitted to having some affairs and expressed that she was not proud of them.

After her divorce, Jane entered into a relationship with Dimitri Horne, the son of a Greek shipping magnate. Their breakup was difficult, and Jane became very upset. She damaged their shared flat and fell into a deep depression. Around this time, it was rumored that the Duchess was having an affair, and Jane later lost her job as the Duchess’s dresser. Although some believed this was related to the affair, Buckingham Palace stated that her dismissal was due to cost-cutting.

In 1998, Jane met Thomas Ashley Cressman through a mutual friend. Thomas was a former stockbroker with a lucrative business selling car accessories. Jane moved in with him, reportedly due to financial troubles. She also took a job as a PR manager at Claridge's Hotel but had to leave after just two months. Over the next two years in her relationship with Thomas, Jane made it clear that she hoped to marry him and start a family.

In September 2000, Jane Andrews went on a holiday to Italy and the French Riviera with her partner, Thomas Cressman. She hoped that he would propose to her, but instead, he said he had no intention of marrying her. After they returned to their flat in Fulham on September 17, they began to argue. Cressman called the police, stating, "somebody is going to get hurt," but no police arrived at their home. Later that night, while Cressman was sleeping, Andrews attacked him with a cricket bat and then stabbed him with a knife.

After the attack, Andrews left the scene. She contacted her ex-husband, Christopher Dunn-Butler, shortly after killing Cressman. She also sent messages to friends, asking about Cressman's whereabouts and health, claiming she did not know what had happened to him and stating that he was being blackmailed. Andrews was untraceable for several days until police found her in Cornwall, where she had overdosed in her car. She survived the suicide attempt and was arrested and charged with murder after police interrogated her.

Andrews went on trial at the Old Bailey on April 23, 2001. The prosecutors argued that she killed Cressman out of a sense of rejection and anger. In her defense, Andrews claimed that Cressman had been abusive towards her during their relationship and cited his alleged sexual obsessions. Additionally, she mentioned a past incident where he pushed her while she was dancing, resulting in a broken arm. After twelve hours of deliberation, the jury convicted her, and she was sentenced to life in prison.

In 2001, a psychiatrist diagnosed Andrews with borderline personality disorder and later suggested that she had been subjected to coercive control by Cressman. Allegations of coercive control emerged during the trial — a form of psychological abuse that's now more widely recognized, thanks to resources like Invisible Chains, which explore how victims can become trapped in emotionally violent relationships. She began her sentence at HM Prison Bullwood Hall in Essex. In November 2009, after serving nearly nine years, she escaped from East Sutton Park Prison. However, she was recaptured three days later in a hotel room with her family.

Andrews was considered for early release several times but was repeatedly deemed a danger to the public. On June 19, 2015, she was released on license. In 2018, she was accused of harassing a former partner, which led to her license being revoked and her recall to prison. After a police investigation found no evidence of harassment, she was released again on August 8, 2019, with conditions to reside in a probation hostel.