More than 30 years after Lorena Bobbitt became a household name for cutting off her husband’s penis, she is sharing her story in a new ITV documentary titled *I Cut Off His Penis: The Truth Behind The Headlines*. The film, which premiered on October 15 at 9 PM BST, explores the phenomenon of “penicide” through the personal accounts of individuals affected by such incidents.
At 24, Lorena made headlines on June 23, 1993, when she severed John Wayne Bobbitt’s penis with a butcher’s knife. In the documentary, Lorena, now 55, reflects on the incident, stating, “The whole world knows I cut his penis off. There’s no way to candy-coat it; that’s what happened.” She believes that the sensationalized media coverage has overshadowed the true essence of her story.
Her legal team argued that she acted out of temporary insanity due to physical and sexual abuse inflicted by John, which he has denied. John was acquitted of marital sexual assault in a related case. Following the incident, police recovered the severed organ from a field after Lorena discarded it from a moving car; it was later successfully reattached during a lengthy surgery.
In the documentary, Lorena recounts the chaotic moments following her actions. “I remember driving in the car with the penis in one hand and the knife in the other,” she shares. “I couldn’t drive straight; I got scared and threw it out of the window.” The couple met when she was a nail technician, and he was a bar bouncer and former US Marine. They married in 1989, but Lorena soon recognized troubling signs in their relationship.
Describing the escalating abuse she endured, Lorena reveals, “There were bruises on my arms, legs, shoulders, and face. It escalated to the point that I was raped.” She recalls waking up to John assaulting her, feeling confused and scared. Arrested for malicious wounding, Lorena was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity in 1994 and spent a maximum of 45 days in a mental hospital. She and John divorced in 1995.
“There was no element of revenge in my case,” she insists. “I didn’t want anyone to suffer. That’s not who I am; it’s not why I did it. It’s about what put me in that position.”
Now living in Virginia as Lorena Gallo, she has moved on with her life. She met her partner, David Bellinger, over 20 years ago, and they share a teenage daughter. John now resides in Sarasota, Florida, where he has worked in adult films and recently revealed he lost all ten toes due to a medical condition.
In 2018, Lorena founded The Lorena Gallo Foundation, aimed at providing resources for domestic violence and sexual assault prevention and awareness. Reflecting on her past, she states, “Sometimes I wish it didn’t happen to me, but my life is not a tape that I can rewind. I became a mother, I have a relationship with this wonderful man. I’m not only a survivor, but I have a new life.”
