Helly Acton is a copywriter from London with past lives in Zimbabwe, the Middle East, and Australia. She studied Law at King's College London before following a more creative path into advertising. At 26, she took a career break to travel in Africa and Asia, before landing in Sydney. Six years and one life-affirming breakup later, she returned home and threw herself into online dating in the city.

Helly currently lives in Cape Town with her husband, Chris, their little boys, Arlo and Jack, and their little dog, Milo. Sometimes, she gets their names mixed up. Helly's previously titles, The Shelf and The Couple were both published by Bonnier Books in the UK, and she was nominated for the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2021 for her debut, The Shelf.