Yeah woof that video. Just woof. Honestly it just made me so, so angry to hear what Holly went through apparently without any help from her supposedly oh-so-great-and-supportive parents. I mean what the actual duck?? At this point I just feel so sorry for Holly.
For starters, it sounds like Holly's mum never really explained much about periods to her. Because Holly explicitly mentions that she was super scared and confused when she got cramps during her period for the first time (when she was like 13-ish) - this means that noone ever told her about the side effects that can come with periods. And 13-year old Holly then felt like she had to hide that she was suffering from cramps, not tell anyone, not ask for help, and just 'power through' her school day in spite of the pain. I mean, there's something seriously messed up with this. And I don't blame Holly for this at all since she was a literal child at the time, but why wasn't her mum more supportive? Why didn't she explain these things to her daughter, and help her deal with it?
Honestly it's no wonder that teenage Holly was apparently so scared of her period, if she didn't get the information and support she needed. But God it's just sad to think about a kid so worried about "fulfilling expectations" (Holly's wording) that she sees her period as scary potential obstacle to a perfect dance performance. It's just. Not good, and it goes to show that Holly just didn't get the support she needed at home :/
But like others mentioned, the Big Obvious Glaring Issue is how Holly lost her period for SEVEN YEARS due to her eating disorder and her parents never once got her the professional help she clearly urgently needed?? I mean, for the first three years or so of this Holly was still a minor, living in her parents' house, under their care, and they apparently just ignored that she lost her period? Apart from everything else, this is shocking to me because you can lose your period for many reasons, some of them serious medical conditions, and also not having your period can have bad medical consequences in and of itself. Holly herself said that she "shudders to think" what her bone density must've been like during these years but then sort of shrugs it off in the video but like? Didn't her parents worry about her health at all??
And yes, apart from threatening her with not being allowed to go to Cambridge, I don't think Holly ever mentioned her parents doing anything in reaction to her severe eating disorder. (Like way to go, put yet more pressure on your daughter who is clearly under so much pressure already that she developed an ED as a maladjusted coping strategy! Such a good idea! Such great parenting!)
Also a big old WTF at that doctor at Cambridge who wanted to put Holly on the pill but apparently didn't inquire into the causes of her lack of hormones and her malnourishment/didn't try to get a psychologist involved. But also Holly shrugging it off by saying she "didn't want to go on the pill" - that's just weirdly reminiscent of Emily professing she "doesn't believe" in hormonal birth control. Maybe a family thing too? (Kinda weird, thinking the pill is harmful but apparently not thinking that having an untreated ED for seven years is harmful)
And Holly saying that she "didn't have time to think about" her missing period during her Cambridge years because she was too busy - that is a mental health red flag too, imho. In fact that whole video feels like one big red flag to me.
I just hope that Holly is seeing a therapist and simply doesn't mention it on camera (though why she would do that is beyond me, seeing how she shares literally every other intimate detail about her life). I just hope that she's finally getting help because oh boy does she need it. Honestly being left alone with an untreated serious mental health condition like that can be traumatizing in and of itself.
tl;dr Just me ranting about Holly's parents for a bit because holy hell they sure didn't handle Holly's ED well. Neglect can take many forms. :/