DARLING MAGAZINE SW LONDON WINTER 21/22

Page 4

Don’t get angry, get even

Author, TV presenter, fitness guru, and Prosecco lover Shelly Palmer’s journey

S

helly Palmer had everything – the looks, the smarts, the glamorous jobs, the celebrity friends, the secrets of business success, the keys to the city. Everything, that is, except a heathy relationship of mutual respect as a couple of loving equals. For many years she was involved in a relationship so toxic she lost her confidence, her identity and the very idea of herself as a woman in her own right with her own needs, ambitions and dreams. All of them were stunted and smothered by a controlling partner who told her how to dress, how to behave and how to tiptoe around his moods and whims. She lost confidence and had low self-esteem. She’d had no other relationship experience and had nothing to measure against. She managed to escape that relationship eventually and found new love, but again she found herself attracted to the same kind of men over and over again. She hit rock bottom two years ago when she miscarried and finally addressed some deep-seated issues of her own around her adoption.

“It led me on a journey of self-discovery and self-development. It’s how I was able to write my book “Little Pocket Book of Red Flags” and help other women,” says Shelly. The book is a women’s guide to dating in the age of social media and managing toxic relationships. Shelly wrote the book with her best friend Louise Pullen who she locked down with. She was on her own in the city and everyone was locking down around her, and she didn’t want to be on her own. She got in her mini and drove to Portsmouth. Writing the book was something they’d always talked about. They shared their own dating disasters and friends shared theirs with them. They wanted to write a book that can be passed down from mother to sister to niece to friend. They asked: “What would we write for our younger selves?” That was the starting point. The book tackles the dangers of dating online and


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Articles inside

Fighting fire with fire – Kathryn Duncan

4min
pages 48-49

Want a ‘no fuss’ funeral?

2min
page 47

Suzanne Mynors’ happy work-life at Russell-Cooke

4min
pages 44-45

Property investing – start when you’re young

2min
page 43

Mental health programmes in schools

1min
page 39

Russell-Cooke tackles abusive relationships

4min
pages 36-38

The wisdom of winter with Sophie Lutz

2min
page 41

Spotlight on the fabulous Jamie Wilson

3min
pages 30-32

Perfect artworks for you from Ad Lib Gallery

1min
page 40

State-of-the-art spa retreat at David Lloyd

1min
page 29

We’re talking pelvic prolapse

2min
pages 27-28

No nonsense, no toxins with Shelly

1min
pages 25-26

Multitasking for your skin at Nakedhealth

2min
pages 23-24

Feeling lonely? Breathe Café is open to talk

1min
page 15

Teaching kids values this Christmas. Elaine Halligan

4min
pages 12-14

The other side of COP26 with Mary Hanover

4min
pages 18-19

Women of the World festival is back

3min
pages 16-17

Good feasting this season

5min
pages 20-22

Oath Home making positive impacts

1min
page 11

Shelly Palmer - woman of many talents

4min
pages 4-6
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