Lucy Clifford pushed three words under her mum's door at 10 to disclose abuse. Her memoir of that name is published on Friday and launched in Rochester.

Lucy Clifford’s memoir, Three Little Words, is published on Friday 18 September. She is marking it that evening with a private launch at Rochester Corn Exchange.

The title comes from the moment she first told anyone what was happening to her. In her own words:

“At 10 years old, I couldn’t say aloud that I was being sexually abused. So I wrote three words on a piece of paper and pushed it under my mum’s bedroom door. Nearly 33 years later, those words have become the title of my memoir, Three Little Words.”

She says the Mayor of Medway, Cllr Douglas Hamandishe, will attend the launch alongside senior figures and professionals who work with children and young people. The event is by invitation, not open to the public.

“People have started telling me their stories”

Lucy told Medway Live that the book is only part of what she wants to talk about. Since she began speaking publicly on podcasts and social media, others have started confiding in her.

“Something I never expected has happened: people have started telling me their stories. Friends. Acquaintances. Complete strangers. Some have disclosed experiences they have carried silently for years.”

“It has left me wondering how many people are walking around carrying something they have never felt safe enough to say. Predators live in silence. That is why I keep talking.”

Both sides of a disclosure

Lucy says she has spent more than 18 years working with children and young people, which means she now sees disclosure from two directions.

“As the child who once struggled to find the words, and as a professional who has spent much of her adult life looking beyond behaviour and considering what children may be communicating when they cannot say it.”

Her point for parents, teachers and anyone else around children is in that last line: a child who cannot say something out loud may still be trying to tell you, through a note, a change in behaviour or something else entirely.

What it means for you

  • The book: Three Little Words by Lucy Clifford is published on Friday 18 September 2026.
  • The launch: a private event at Rochester Corn Exchange that evening. It is not a ticketed public event.
  • If something in this story is familiar: children and young people can talk to Childline for free and in confidence. Adults who were abused as children can get support from NAPAC. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

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