Why Holly Hid Her Neurodivergence From The Big Brother Housemates: “Didn’t Feel Safe”

Big Brother Australia's Holly Young has been one of the most outspoken housemates for 2025, but there was one side to the 31-year-old model she chose to keep to herself. The influencer tells Refinery29 Australia she lives with auditory processing disorder (APD), dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which she chose to keep secret. Deciding when to disclose a hidden disability or disorder can be a fraught decision, because while you shouldn't be judged or treated differently due to it, that's not always the case. Holly got a lot of criticism in the Big Brother house for how she acted but she insists her words were often taken out of context and "misunderstood".

"I [learned] to be a lot more cautious with what I say, because... there were a lot of people that were nitpicking at every single thing that I said, and I wasn't really open about the fact that I have an auditory processing issue and that I am dyslexic with ADHD. That's a lot to deal with," Holly explains. "I didn't really want to tell people [that] I worked through that as a child. I did a lot of tutoring, a lot of after-school work... did I want to have to disclose that to the house? No. Should I have? [It] would have made it easier for me, potentially, but at the end of the day that's my choice, and I'm entitled to it, so the fact that was kind of used against me did hurt." APD can sometimes result in issues such as not understanding what people are saying, being unable to recall spoken information, and feeling more isolated.

Holly claims she "didn't feel safe" bringing up her diagnoses during the social experiment, because she felt like she was already being unfairly targeted and judged by her other housemates. The influencer has also experienced ableism in the outside world, so she chose to tread carefully inside the Big Brother house. "It's disheartening when that happens [in the real world]. And I just didn't want to give anybody in the house any more ammunition, so I just thought that I would keep that to myself," she says. "And honestly, I've worked so hard [that] I didn't want to sort of draw attention to it. I pride myself on being a strong woman and holding myself in high grace."

Holly insists she hasn't revealed her conditions after the fact to have a "pity party" and is grateful for her mum's support as a child, but notes that she was potentially portrayed in the wrong light. "I've tried to stay the most positive, and I think that was misunderstood on the show," Holly says. "I feel that I was a little bit misunderstood [the] majority of the time, and at the end of the day, that's a reflection of them, not me."

It's worth noting that this Big Brother season has been criticised by fans for alleged ableist remarks made by multiple housemates, something viewers have shared and discussed due to the continuous live stream. Holly herself was at the centre of controversy when she allegedly compared Conor's Tourette's syndrome to Down syndrome. "Being told that [Holly] understands me because she knows people with Down syndrome makes me feel horrific," he said at the time. Viewers also noted on Reddit that Conor potentially made an ableist joke, while Coco allegedly called somebody a "spaz". While it's damaging to have this type of rhetoric spread to a national audience, it's important that we talk about ableist remarks, why they are unacceptable, and how we can do better.

Holly hasn't been listening to any criticism shared online about her time in the Big Brother house, and instead has focused on the outpouring of love from fans. "Kindness from strangers really means a lot, because I feel like my time on the show was really intense... when the love comes through, which [means] people [could] actually see who I was, and that means the most to me," she says. "It is 24 hours, 24/7, there's no breaks. There's really no valve to release any pressure, you just have to internalise a lot."

While her journey was complicated, she's grateful for what she's taking away. "The amount of growth that I feel I've experienced just within these past three weeks is quite remarkable for myself," she notes. "Words can easily get jumbled up and said the wrong way, and then it's magnified... little things can become big things, hence why I was heavy on the compassion, [I believe] if people had a little bit more compassion to one another in the house, it would go a long way."