Aimee Lou Wood’s sister Emily has revealed the heartbreaking reason they’ve parted ways.
The White Lotus star, 31, has been open about her own battles, including teenage bulimia, body-dysmorphia, social anxiety and a diagnosis of ADHD earlier this year.
Make-up artist Emily, 28, was asked on the Breaking Beauty podcast this week if she still does Aimee’s make-up, to which she replied: ‘No… It’s just something that’s a sensitive space because we decided years ago that we both struggle with our mental health.
‘We are very sensitive, hyper-vigilant people, and in a work environment, it’s just way more exacerbated because you’re perceived in a different way.
‘I have complex PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]… Aimee does too, so we need extra safety to feel even a normal level of safety.
‘And I think then working together and me being very overprotective of her, needing to check in, and her being like, I just need to get through the day….
Aimee Lou Wood ’s sister Emily has revealed the heartbreaking reason they’ve parted ways
The makeup artist used to do her sister’s glam for events
When asked on the Breaking Beauty podcast this week if she still does Aimee’s make-up, she replied: ‘No… It’s just something that’s a sensitive space because we decided years ago that we both struggle with our mental health’
‘It was just too much for us.’
She continued: ‘We were like, we need to – not that it would ever be ruined – but preserve the sisterhood. It’s boundaries.
‘We needed to grow up and mature and it was actually the best thing we ever did.’
Emily, who previously did Aimee’s make-up professionally on a regular basis, admitted they recently made an exception for a special project.
‘I did her Burberry campaign earlier this year. She was like, obviously you have to do Burberry. It was a really fun day.’
Aimee was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and grew up with Emily in Bramhall.
Their mother, charity worker Alison, is divorced from their father, car dealer Mike, 66.
Last month, Mike gave an extraordinary interview in which he admitted his addiction to drink and cocaine wreaked ‘mayhem’ on Aimee and Emily as children and left them with emotional scars that still echo through their adult lives.
She continued: ‘We were like, we need to – not that it would ever be ruined – but preserve the sisterhood. It’s boundaries’
‘We needed to grow up and mature and it was actually the best thing we ever did’ she added.
Mike, who is now 22 years sober, said both daughters were neurodiverse and had inherited not only his artistic streak but also his sensitivity and anxiety.
He revealed that his chaotic lifestyle – which included brawls, binges and a breakdown that landed him in a psychiatric hospital – contributed directly to the mental health battles the sisters have since discussed publicly.
Aimee has said her bulimia, body dysmorphia, and severe social anxiety began in childhood and intensified during her rise to fame after her breakthrough in Sex Education.
‘I still have moments when I’m really overwhelmed and stressed and I feel it coming back up, like, ‘I could just take back control by not eating…’ she told Radio Times in September. ‘Then I go, “No, I have to [eat]” and I catch that and try not to get burnt out.’
Emily also revealed earlier this year that she and Aimee, who used to share a flat in London, were no longer living together. ‘The space is essential. I now live with a best friend,’ she said.
Before they made the decision to part ways professionally, Aimee and Emily were a well-known creative duo.
Emily was responsible for many of Aimee’s most recognisable looks, including her glowing red-carpet make-up at the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards, her BAFTA TV Awards appearance, and major fashion editorials.
She also helped create Aimee’s glam look for the Sex Education premiere in 2021, which was virtual due to Covid restrictions at the time.
Last month, their father Mike gave an extraordinary interview in which he admitted his addiction to drink and cocaine wreaked ‘mayhem’ on Aimee and Emily as children and left them with emotional scars that still echo through their adult lives (pictured Mike and Aimee)
Aimee’s fame accelerated – from Netflix favourite to Emmy-nominated star of The White Lotus
But as Aimee’s fame accelerated – from Netflix favourite to Emmy-nominated star of The White Lotus – and work became more frequent and high-pressured, the dynamic between them became harder to navigate.
In his recent interview, Mike said he was ‘grateful beyond words’ for the second chance he has been given with his daughters after years of chaos, violence and addiction.
He revealed that his turbulent past – nightclub fights, hospitalisations, psychosis fuelled by fear he had HIV, and a near-suicide attempt while abroad – had directly inspired Aimee’s new BBC sitcom Film Club, which centres on a mother raising two anxious daughters.
‘What I love about both my girls is that they’re so honest about their emotional challenges,’ Mike said. ‘I think it gives people hope.’
He admitted: ‘During their first few years I was a pretty s*** role model. I caused a lot of mayhem.
‘I probably influenced my children badly. If I can be a good influence now that I’m clean, maybe I can make up for some of that.’
Aimee herself has spoken previously about how her father’s behaviour affected her, describing him as a ‘party animal’ with a huge ego who surrounded himself with celebrities and footballers during her childhood in Manchester.
She credits years of therapy with helping her ‘unpick a lot’ of the trauma.
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