Amy Jackson Westwick - I Was A Magnet For Narcissists

Amy Jackson Westwick - I Was A Magnet For Narcissists

From How To Fail With Elizabeth Day by Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment

April 1, 2026 · 55 min · Season 20 · Episode 156

About this episode

Amy Jackson Westwick shares her journey from a working-class background in Liverpool to becoming a Bollywood star, discussing her experiences with narcissistic relationships and managing a blended family.

Amy Jackson Westwick is a major Bollywood film star with some 14 million followers on social media. Yet she grew up in a working class family in Liverpool. So how did a teenager from Merseyside become one of the most recognisable British actors working in Bollywood? Today on How To Fail, she tells us her story. We discuss growing up too fast, how she broke free from a cycle of narcissistic relationships and how she now manages a blended family (Amy has two sons - one with her husband, the actor Ed Westwick, and one from a previous partner). Plus: what she learned from her years in Bollywood and why she’s ’a petty cow’. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Intro 03:13 Chasing Security Not Fame 04:08 Finding Yourself Again 06:35 Growing Up Too Fast 06:50 Liverpool Childhood Roots 11:27 Pageants to Bollywood Break 24:04 Perfect Family Fantasy 25:21 Romanticising Love 26:40 Back To Back Relationships 27:30 People Pleasing Patterns 29:06 Narcissists And Boundaries 31:53 Leaving And Healing 36:39 Blended Family Reality 39:52 Step Parenting Rules 47:05 Listening To Yourself 💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER: Security comes in so many different forms - and for me it's peace of mind. If it doesn't feel right…

People in this episode

Guest: Amy Jackson Westwick

Topics covered

  • narcissistic relationships
  • Bollywood
  • family dynamics
  • personal growth

Keywords

  • social media
  • childhood
  • relationships
  • self-discovery

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: How To Fail, What’s the Tea Amy, The Testaments, How To Fail & Elizabeth, Failing with Friends

Places: Bollywood, Liverpool, Merseyside

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