Ruby Shelby is a fictional character in the BBC/Netflix series Peaky Blinders , and what “happened” to her is part of the show’s later‑season storyline.

What happened in the show

Ruby is the young daughter of Tommy Shelby and Lizzie Stark. In Season 6, Episode 3 (“Gold”) , it is revealed that Ruby has become gravely ill, suffering from what at the time is called “consumption” —a wasting illness of the lungs, which strongly implies tuberculosis.

Tommy initially believes she is under a Romani curse tied to a cursed sapphire that had earlier caused deaths in the series, and he tries frantically to lift the curse. However, by the time he returns to the hospital, Ruby has already died.

How the curse and her visions fit in

Before her death, Ruby experiences visions of a “grey man” and speaks Romani‑language phrases about the devil, which both Tommy and other characters interpret as signs of a curse being worked on her.

  • The curse is framed as revenge against Tommy for passing on the tainted sapphire, even though medically her body is failing from consumption.
  • After her death, the show treats her passing as a breaking point for Tommy, deepening his psychological spiral and sense of guilt.

Fan and forum discussion

Modern online forums such as Reddit and Peaky‑Blinders fan sites still reference Ruby when debating the show’s later seasons, often focusing on:

  • The emotional impact of her death.
  • The mix of supernatural‑curse framing versus the historical‑medicine reality (TB/“consumption”) as a storytelling device.

So, in the show’s timeline , Ruby Shelby dies in 1934 (Season 6) from tuberculosis/“consumption” , with her death framed as both a medical tragedy and the fulfillment of a symbolic Romani curse.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.