Abstract: An assembly of a cable gripper and a cable that has an outer protective layer formed from plastically deformable material, over an inner tensile strength portion). The cable gripper includes at least one gripper member having a supported outer end and an active inner end penetrating the outer protective layer and gripping the inner tensile strength portion beneath the outer protective layer. The active inner end includes a material of sufficient hardness to penetrate the outer protective layer by movement of the gripper member through the outer layer from an inoperative to an operative position.