In 1885 she was living with waterside laborer Michael Kidney, 7 years younger than her. They lived together for three or four years although she often left him for periods of time to go off on the town.
They lived at 35 Devonshire Street, moving to 36 Devonshire Street five months prior to her murder. Their relationship was stormy. He said that she was frequently absent when she was drinking and he even tried, unsuccessfully, to padlock her in. He also said she told him that she worked for a family in Hyde Park and that she “came to see the country.” He also believed that she had family in London.
It is possible that Kidney's relationship with Stride occasionally spilled over into violence, perhaps on account of her behaviour, for on 6th April 1887 she accused him of assault, but failed to turn up at the hearing against him at Thames Magistrate's Court. In July 1888, Kidney was sent down for three days for being drunk and disorderly and using obscene language.
Kidney last saw Stride on Tuesday 25th September 1888 in Commercial Street as he went to work and he was expecting to see her at home when he got back. They had not quarreled and she was perfectly sober when they parted. He did not believe she was seeing anybody else because in his own words, "she liked me better than any one else" and it was usually the drink that made her go off. He was not unduly concerned about her absence in the five days prior to her murder.
On 1st October 1888, Michael Kidney turned up drunk at Leman Street Police Station, announcing that if had he been the policeman on whose beat Stride's body had been found, he would have killed himself.