Marina Diamandis: Who deserves an apology from you, and for what?

The question

Who deserves an apology from you, and for what?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Myself. I didn’t know how to protect myself adequately when I was younger, and I think I would have experienced my youth differently if I had.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 June 2025 source ↗

Others on this question

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Emily Mortimer British actress

Our dog, Snowy. He’s a miniature poodle, and he’s needy and really irritating as a result.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 31 October 2020 source ↗

Anne Enright Novelist and short-story writer

I was not great with my mother-in-law, who was a very gentle woman. I thought she would be an uninvited part of my life for ever, but she died early and I wished I had been more open and patient.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 September 2024 source ↗

Douglas Stuart Scottish fashion designer and novelist

To my younger self. I was incredibly self-loathing and self-doubting, and I’m still undoing that damage 30 years later.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 22 April 2023 source ↗

Rylan Clark-Neal English media personality

To the British public for my time on X Factor.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 April 2019 source ↗

More from Marina Diamandis

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Question If you could revise one chapter of your past, what would you change? Failure & regret

I would get therapy in my early 20s.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 June 2025 source ↗

Question What most recently moved you to tears? Identity & self

Three days ago. I don’t even know why. Sometimes I just feel emotional about how vulnerable humans are.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 June 2025 source ↗

Question Which book do you still mean to read, and why has it stayed on your list? Taste & recommendation

None! We shouldn’t shame people for not having read “the greats”. There are always new greats emerging that may feel more relevant to our life experience, particularly female writers.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 June 2025 source ↗