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Could these be red flags that your friendship isn’t reciprocal? An expert explains what to look for

Are you always the one giving lifts, rearranging plans or helping out? Experts explain how to spot when a friendship has become one-sided — and why the answer may not be as simple as cutting someone off.

Sally Saunders

16 September 202613 September 2026

Could these be red flags that your friendship isn’t reciprocal? An expert explains what to look for

Friendships

The friendship seesaw: When a friend is only happy if they are high and you are low

Toxic friendships don’t usually begin with betrayal or cruelty. According to best-selling author and therapist Marisa Peer, they begin the moment one person needs the relationship to stay unequal — and doesn’t care what that does to the other person. All friendships go through difficult periods. Life changes, people drift, misunderstandings happen and the balance […]

Sally Saunders

10 July 2026

Friendships

Is your friend manipulating you? The secret signs psychologists say you shouldn’t ignore

Feeling guilty after seeing a friend? Constantly walking on eggshells or questioning yourself? Experts explain the overlooked signs of manipulation in friendships and how to tell when a relationship is no longer healthy. We often think of manipulation as something that happens in romantic relationships, but it can be just as damaging between friends. The […]

Sally Saunders

10 July 202610 July 2026

Is your friend manipulating you? The secret signs psychologists say you shouldn’t ignore

‘The shame was never ours to bear’: how Ruth Ellis’s execution scarred generations of her family

For decades, the execution of Ruth Ellis cast a long shadow over her family, shaping childhoods, relationships and a legacy of trauma. Now, after securing a historic posthumous pardon for her grandmother, Laura Enston tells us how she is reclaiming a story that was once a source of shame.

‘Help — I can’t stop thinking about my married coworker!’: How to stop a workplace crush from becoming an affair

You can’t always control who you’re attracted to, but you can control what happens next. A therapist explains why workplace crushes develop, what they might reveal about your needs, and how to stop attraction from crossing a line.

What happens when the person who murdered your loved one is on death row? The psychology of grief, justice and closure

When someone is murdered, the grief can be devastating. But for families whose loved one’s killer spends decades on death row, the wait for justice can bring its own psychological challenges. Chartered psychologist Dr Ravi Gill explains how repeated delays, anticipatory grief and the hope of an execution can affect the bereavement process – and why closure is rarely straightforward.