THE parents of a teenager who was killed by her boyfriend have been "overwhelmed" by the reaction to a TV episode that featured her case.

Carly Fairhurst, from Hindley, died in 2006 at the age of 19 when Darren Pilkington pushed her down a flight of stairs.

Pilkington was convicted of manslaughter after leaving Carly to suffer all night with her injuries which she never recovered from.

Her case was shown in one half of Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories on ITV1 on Thursday and covered how Carly - at the age of 15 - became a pen pal of Pilkington, who was in jail after killing his friend Paul Akister in 2000.

The programme mentioned how their relationship developed when he was released from prison and how Carly covered up incidents of being repeatedly assaulted by Pilkington from her parents.

Her mum Sheila, 62, said: "We have been totally overwhelmed since the programme was shown.

"The amount of people who have got in touch has been amazing.

"They have been telling their stories on social media about domestic abuse they have suffered.

"Carly's mates went to her about their problems because she was such a caring girl.

"But she didn't tell us about what was happening to her and made her friends swear not to tell anyone about it."

After a court case followed, Pilkington was given an indeterminate sentence and served 10 years in jail before he was released on parole in November 2016 with a number of conditions which he breached the following year and was put back behind bars.

Pilkington was released last September with a list of conditions imposed on him.

Carly’s parents Sheila and Trevor received MBEs from Prince William two years ago for campaigning against domestic abuse and setting up The Carly Fund, a charity which provides support for victims.

Its helpline was also open to anyone affected by the terrorist attacks in Manchester and London in 2017.

The couple have also raised more than £60,000 for Wigan Victim Support and Witness Service, which supported them after Carly’s death.

Sheila and her Trevor were full of praise for the programme about their daughter.

Trevor, 64, said: "It is brilliant and we were very emotional when we watched it.

"I have thanked the producer for doing such a good job.

"There have been messages from people across the world getting in touch about it.

"It is so rewarding for us that we are helping to save people's lives."

Sheila added: "We want to keep Carly's memory alive.

"We would like to say thank you to all our friends and people who have supported us through everything."

Carly's story was also previously aired in an episode of TV series Britain’s Darkest Taboos.