The White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood and her sister Emily have taken the heartbreaking step of stepping back from working together, with Emily opening up about their seperation behind the scenes
Actress Aimee Lou Wood and her sister Emily have revealed the heartbreaking reason they no longer work together. The White Lotus and Sex Education star, 31, and her younger sister Emily, 28, who is a make-up artist, have long been open about their struggles with mental health. But now Emily has explained that the close-knit pair had to step back step back from collaborating with each other.
The sisters, who grew up in Bramhall, Greater Manchester, once lived together in London. Emily regularly created Aimee’s signature looks for events including the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards, the BAFTA TV Awards, and the Sex Education premiere. But as Aimee’s fame shifted, from Netflix breakthrough star to Emmy-nominated actress in The White Lotus, so did the pair’s relationship.
Speaking on the Breaking Beauty podcast this week, Emily was asked whether she still does her sister’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.”
She continued: “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… Aimee does too, so we need extra safety to feel even a normal level of safety.”
The make-up artist admitted that working so closely together had become overwhelming. “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… it was just too much for us.”
The sisters ultimately decided to set boundaries to protect their relationship, with Emily sharing, “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.”
However, Emily went on to reveal that she made an exception to the rule: “I did her Burberry campaign earlier this year. She was like, obviously you have to do Burberry. It was a really fun day.”
Aimee has been open about her own mental health battles, revealing she has faced bulimia, body dysmorphia and social anxiety since her teens. “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… Then I go, ‘No, I have to [eat]’ and I catch that and try not to get burnt out,” she told Radio Times in September.
Earlier this year, Emily also shared that the sisters had decided to live apart. “The space is essential. I now live with a best friend,” she said.
Their father Mike, 66, recently gave a candid interview about his own troubled past, revealing that his addiction to drink and cocaine wreaked “mayhem” on the family home. He said both daughters were “neurodiverse” and had inherited his “artistic streak, sensitivity and anxiety.”
Now sober for 22 years, Mike admitted that his chaotic past — including “brawls, binges and a breakdown that landed me in a psychiatric hospital.” 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.” Their mum Alison, a charity worker, divorced Mike years ago.
*If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email [email protected]
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .