Stacy's Story Changed Me
Updated: 4 days ago
When I created Not Broken, my goal was simple: to support women.
Throughout this website I've shared my own experiences openly. I've written about living with PMDD, my journey through alcohol addiction, and my struggles with my mental health. My hope has always been that by sharing my story honestly, another woman might feel a little less alone in hers.
One thing that has never directly affected me, however, is domestic abuse.
Because of that, it wasn't so
mething I had planned to write about when I created this website.
That changed this week.
My best friend's cousin, Stacy Hunter, was murdered.
She was allegedly killed by her husband.
I don't want to focus on the horrific details of what happened. Instead, I want to take a moment to remember Stacy.
I've known Stacy since she was a little girl. I remember chatting to her through the railings of my primary school's playing field when she was a toddler and I was in Primary 2 or 3. She was a lovely little girl who loved the attention we all gave her at lunchtime.
Years later, my sister stood beside Stacy as her best maid at her wedding in 2019. They had been close friends for most of their lives.
Until they weren't.
Like so many women experiencing domestic abuse, Stacy gradually became isolated from the people who loved her. Isolation is one of the most common tactics used by abusive partners. They slowly separate women from friends, family and support networks, making it harder to leave and harder to ask for help.
Today, Stacy's children face growing up without their mother.
The shock of her death has been felt across Scotland, and it has certainly been felt by me.
Since learning of Stacy's death, I have spent hours reading about domestic abuse in Scotland.
The statistics are heartbreaking.
In 2024–25, Police Scotland recorded 64,967 incidents of domestic abuse. In 81% of those incidents, the victim was a woman and the suspected perpetrator was a man. Almost nine in ten incidents happened inside the home, and around half involved a current partner, with almost half involving a former partner.
Behind every one of those statistics is a real person.
A mother.
A daughter.
A sister.
A friend.
I also discovered that Stacy was not the only woman to lose her life this year. Other women in Scotland have also been killed in alleged acts of domestic violence.
That is something none of us should become comfortable with.
After posting a couple of videos on TikTok about Stacy and domestic abuse, I received messages from women across Scotland.
Some thanked me for speaking about a subject they felt nobody was talking about.
Others quietly told me that they were living with domestic abuse themselves.
Many said they were too frightened to speak publicly because they feared what would happen if their partner found out.
Those messages have stayed with me.
No woman should ever feel that she has to suffer in silence.
No woman should be afraid to ask for help.
And no child should have to lose their mother because of domestic abuse.
That is why Not Broken will now become a place where domestic abuse is talked about openly, compassionately and without judgement.
I'm currently putting together a list of organisations, charities and services that support women experiencing domestic abuse.
I know help exists.
I also know that reaching out can feel impossible when you're living with abuse every day.
If this page helps even one woman realise she is not alone, then sharing Stacy's story will have meant something.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse
Please know this:
You are not weak.
You are not to blame.
And you are not broken.
There are people who will believe you, support you and help you find a way forward.
One day, I hope no family has to experience the pain that Stacy's family is living through today.
Until then, we must keep talking.
We must keep listening.
And we must keep remembering the women whose voices have been taken from them.
Rest in peace, Stacy. You deserved so much more.
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