Actor and writer Rebecca Humphries has written a book called Why Did You Stay? which details her experiences when her then-boyfriend Seann Walsh was pictured kissing his Strictly Come Dancing partner Katya Jones in 2018.
Humphries has been very open about how she feels about the event and has written that her ex was gaslighting her on the run-up to the public kiss. The synopsis of Humphries new book makes it clear her position has not changed: “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?”
“Using her relationship history, coming of age stories and experiences since the Strictly scandal, 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.”
Humphries, who stars in the British remake of Call My Agent, Ten Per Cent on Amazon Prime writes: “I never wanted to write a book. All I ever really want to do, at any given moment, is dance about to gay songs. But I need to. I need to do it because several years after surviving a relationship (one that culminated in the bin-fire of all break-ups) I am still seeing with my own eyes some of the coolest, cleverest, sexiest women allowing their brilliance to be drained in the name of love.
And although no one actually has to answer a BS, victim-shaming question like “Why Did You Stay?”, I hope that my choice to reclaim it will empower anyone who feels as lonely in their story as I once did in mine.”
Rebecca Humphries: Why Did You Stay? A memoir about self-worth is published by Little, Brown on 7th July.
