Why Did You Stay?: The instant Sunday Times bestseller cover art

Why Did You Stay?: The instant Sunday Times bestseller

A memoir about self-worth

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Why Did You Stay?: The instant Sunday Times bestseller

By: Rebecca Humphries
Narrated by: Rebecca Humphries
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

 '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 ©2022 Rebecca Humphries Abuse Dysfunctional Families Dysfunctional Relationships Gender Studies Parenting & Families Personal Development Relationships Self-Esteem Social Sciences Women Funny Inspiring Witty Thought-Provoking Heartfelt

Listeners also enjoyed...

 I'm Glad My Mom Died cover art
Weirdo cover art
The Rachel Incident cover art
All Grown Up cover art
Get Divorced, Be Happy cover art
Sunny cover art
Busy Being Free cover art
If Only cover art
The Pretty One cover art
The Love Square cover art
Did My Love Life Shrink in the Wash? cover art

Critic reviews

Her thought-provokingstory should be required readingfor anyone in a relationship
Brilliant, universal writing on toxic relationships and heartbreak. A Heart Shaped Bullet for the modern age (Jenny Colgan)
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
The best [book] about relationships since Three Women [...] Set to be this year's summer smart female read for women of all ages
Why Did You Stay? is anything but a simple question, and Humphries is nothing if not comprehensive in her answer - but she is also funny, tender and wise
A memoir every woman should read ... a frank, funny and sometimes confronting deep dive into why so many women mistake controlling relationships with toxic men as what they think love should be
Fierce. Game-changing. Urgently necessary. Brilliant, brilliant and did I say brilliant?
Pacy, vivid, compelling and very, VERY funny ... it will help so many
A fucking classic. Required reading for all women and men and I believe it's going to be the book of 2022
Fuck, this is good. Every page feels important
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
Very, very good
A magical, magical book
So thoughtful and moving and funny and sad and great, I love it so, so much. I resented having to put it down
Her thought-provoking story should be required reading for anyone in a relationship
When I love a book, I want to talk to the person and this was fantastic...I know women are going to recognise themselves in here, or their best friend, or their mother, their sister
A funny, brave and honest book that will change lives. I have not stopped talking about it
An extraordinary memoir ... Unflinching and often very funny, it's a diary of self-discovery, an account of finding one's self-worth, a celebration of resilience and a hymn to the value of friendship
A really important book that I think loads of men should read so we can better understand the things we do, whether by accident or by design
Brilliant, universal writing on toxic relationships and heartbreak. A Heart Shaped Bullet for the modern age
All stars
Most relevant
This book is sure to make every woman who has been through toxic, abusive relationships, realise that none of it is exclusive to them. So many of Rebecca's thoughts, actions, feelings and things that have been said and done to her... have been EXACTLY the same for me. I love this book with my whole heart and I will recommend it to every woman I know. I just wish I had read it at 20, rather than 39.... although I probably wouldn't have been ready for it. Cheers for reminding me how being single and happy with myself.... is the biggest and best love I have had so far!

Every woman should read this book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really resonate with the authors story. Rebecca narrates it very well and kept me glued to her story. Parts are very funny with serious undertones and the essence of narcisstic abuse. Reaffirms that we are not crazy in these types of relationships and comforting to know that others have been through same experiences and how to overcome to become stable and strong . Thank you Rebecca for writing and narrating a powerful memoir

Funny but true!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I went through the same "delight"of a relationship.I wish all narcissists' partners read this book.

This is definitely helpful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the honesty and rawness of this book and reminded me of every relationship I had in my teens and 20s. Unfortunately, wisdom only comes with experience.

I definitely recommend 👌 ❤️

Once I started I didn't stop until I finished

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Downloaded this after a recommendation from Grazia and so glad I did!
Rebecca’s story / narration is engaging and thought provoking.
At times she is a little much with her animation, but overall it’s an impressive performance.
Slightly mind bending how certain people acted but also impressive how Rebecca navigated this episode.

Engaging and thought provoking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews