It feels like only yesterday when the housemates walked into the Big Brother house, but we're already at the pointy end of the competition, and sadly, on Sunday night, it was Holly's time to leave the house.

A controversial housemate from day one, Holly's every move was scrutinised by her fellow housemates and the audience at home. From her snacking habits to her relationship with Colin, every move she made drew raised eyebrows.

Speaking to 10 after her eviction, the always unfiltered Holly said that while the experience was "intense", it was one she'd carry close to her heart for a very long time.

"I didn't anticipate people would be so in my business 24/7," Holly said. "That blindsided me; however, I learned a huge amount, and the growth that I was able to do and achieve has really been something special. If I hadn't experienced what I did on the show, I wouldn't be aware of some things that I am now."

When the housemates found their luggage had been kept by Big Brother upon entering the house, Colin quite literally gave Holly the shirt off his back, and the pair began their whirlwind romance.

But their housemates were concerned for Colin that Holly's intentions may not have been pure, and from there, the connection was under constant scrutiny.

"No one really connected the way that Colin and I did," Holly said. "I wasn't expecting to form such a connection either. I went in there, telling myself to do the complete opposite. However, you can't help these things sometimes, so I'm grateful for everything that happened because it has either been a lesson or a blessing."

With no access to distractions from the outside world, Holly and Colin became a talking point for a lot of the house. Initially, the couple were criticised for spending too much time together, away from the other housemates. Then, when they were in common areas, the house had issues with their PDA.

"I understand that we all were living under one roof; however, it would have been nice to have a break and not have so many people in our business 24/7," Holly continued.

"A lot of the conversations that were had weren't actually had with us, they were behind our backs or when we weren't there... A relationship is between two people, and I am mature enough to take into consideration that it evolved on national TV, so it’s going to come with scrutiny no matter what happens, so I’m taking it all as a positive.

"A huge amount of growth in a short period of time is something you can't put a price on. I may not have won the grand prize, but I feel as though I have."

Holly also noted the double standard that the house seemed to have when it came to confronting her versus the grace they gave Colin. "I think, at the end of the day, they probably chose to pile on me specifically because I was quite outspoken and resilient.

"It's one of those things," Holly continued, "God gives his strongest soldiers the hardest tasks. I think that goes without saying in this situation."

Holly's time in the house was a roller coaster. Nominated in the first week, Head of House the following week, she was initially safe from nominations. But Allana used her Head of House privilege to save Abiola, putting both Holly and Conor in the danger zone for eviction. It was a cruel twist, especially considering Holly chose not to use the power when she was HoH before Allana.

"I didn't think that it was fair to do that because the house does vote," Holly explained. "Head of House is definitely a privilege, and it is part of the game, to see how people use it and how they don't use the power.

"I'm very happy with my decision, and I'm proud that I stuck true to what I felt was the correct thing to do," she said. "I don't judge Allana for using it at all; it's there to be used. She chose to save someone and, in saving them, that person was able to benefit from it in such a way that's going to change her life."

Holly admitted to having a gut feeling that she would be leaving the house, even going so far as to prepare a final secret farewell note for Colin, written in lip liner. And while her time in the house had come to an end, it was a bittersweet moment for Holly.

"I think there was a sense of relief because I didn't have to deal with all of the Karens, and people speaking so much about me," she said.

"Having Colin's support from day one, we really had each other's back and everyone going so hard and heavy on us from the start, it did the opposite of what they were trying to achieve. It brought us closer together because we could really only confide in each other."

Upon her exit from the house, Holly was able to have the last word with her message from the grave that played to the housemates, and while she had some hard truths for several people in the house, it was Coco who truly felt her wrath.

"I started to actually read the room better than I was initially," Holly explained, "I started to really hear what was being said behind my back, and that really hurt me... Girl code! What happened to that?

"Some of the things she said were pretty vulgar, and I wouldn't say that about somebody... also, to hold a family meeting where she essentially said bullying and bystanding makes her so upset, and really made it seem as though she was the victim in the situation while going around saying the things that she said... I just don't think that's acceptable."

Despite her strong words for a lot of the house, Holly said she's not interested in holding grudges. "That's a wasted emotion. I wouldn't want people to do that to me.

"I went in there to spread awareness, not to judge a book by its cover. Evidently, that's what happened to me, but at the same time, it has raised a lot of awareness. I've received so much love from people that I wasn't expecting because of how tough it was from the get-go in the house," she said.

"It's been non-stop, the amount of kids and people coming up and just saying, 'Wow, your resilience has inspired me within my workplace', within other things they've experienced in their life... to see it happen to somebody else on national TV made them feel like they weren't the only one, and there's a lot of power in that," Holly continued.

"I'm just focusing on the positives, and I want to see Colin do well. Whether he wins or loses, I'll be right there waiting."

Big Brother continues Monday to Friday at 7.30pm, Sundays at 7pm.

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