Why Did You Stay?: The instant Sunday Times bestseller
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4.4 • 18 Ratings
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- £9.99
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
'Fierce. Game-changing. Urgently necessary. Brilliant, brilliant and did I say brilliant?'
EMMA THOMPSON
'Pacy, vivid, compelling and very, VERY funny ... it will help so many'
MARIAN KEYES
'A fucking classic. Required reading for all women and men and I believe it's going to be the book of 2022'
BRYONY GORDON
'Fuck, this is good. Every page feels important'
LUCY VINE
Actor, writer and hopeless romantic Rebecca Humphries had often been called crazy by her boyfriend. But when paparazzi caught him kissing his Strictly Come Dancing partner, she realised the only crazy thing was believing she didn't deserve more.
Forced into victimhood by the story, Rebecca chose to reclaim her power, posting her thoughts on social media, including advice for other women who might be experiencing what she realised she'd managed to escape: a toxic, oppressive relationship. A flood of support poured in, but amongst the well-wishes was a simple question with an infinitely complex answer: 'If he was so bad, why did you stay?'
Empowering, unflinching and full of humour, this book takes that question and owns it. Using her relationship history, coming of age stories and experiences since the scandal during Strictly, Rebecca explores why good girls are drawn to darkness, whether pop culture glamourises toxicity, when a relationship 'rough patch' becomes the start of a destructive cycle, if women are conditioned for co-dependency, and - ultimately - how to reframe disaster into something magical.
'The best [book] about relationships since Three Women'
CAROLINE SANDERSON, THE BOOKSELLER
'So funny and heart-breaking. So stunningly written. For any woman who has been asked 'why did you stay?', Rebecca Humphries' book is a hilarious and brilliant read'
SUSAN WOKOMA
'Very, very good'
PANDORA SYKES
'A magical, magical book'
GLAMOUR
'So thoughtful and moving and funny and sad and great, I love it so, so much. I resented having to put it down'
DAISY BUCHANAN
'Her thought-provoking story should be required reading for anyone in a relationship'
DAILY MIRROR
'A memoir every woman needs to read'
RED MAGAZINE
'This book isn't an ice-cold revenge opus; it's a diary of self-discovery, a celebration of friendship, resilience and finding one's self-worth...is it worth the hype? Absolutely: I had to stop myself from reading it one grateful gulp'
LAURA PULLMAN, STYLE
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A national newspaper printing front-page photos of your comedian boyfriend kissing his dance partner on Strictly Come Dancing is a clear catalyst for ending a relationship. But what about all the other occasions in the lead-up to this humiliating event, where your inner voice was urging you to leave—what would make you stay? In this frank, illuminating memoir Rebecca Humphries contemplates these difficult questions with incisive humour, diving into the intimate details of the five years she spent with Seann Walsh and pulling no punches. Although Humphries’ account reveals a pattern of psychological abuse Why Did You Stay? is far from the “tell all” airing of dirty laundry the tabloid press dogged her for in the weeks following the incident. She presents her narrative as a series of vignettes—scenes play out as they happened, reflecting her emotions at the time—without inserting hindsight, allowing the listener to draw their own conclusions and consider how they might have reacted in the same situations. Humphries also addresses the fallout that ensued, the public reaction, the broader cultural factors at play and the ways that she has learned and grown from her experience. Narrated by Humphries herself, this audiobook is essential listening for anyone interested in the complexities of interpersonal relationships, the subtle ways in which we can be manipulated into accepting circumstances that harm us, and the steps we can take to rebuild our self-worth.
