Her ex-boyfriend Akim Nicholson had taken their break-up badly, and was frequently emailing her.
But this message was different.
"Check your Snapchat," it said.
A feeling of dread rushed over Holly.
Hands shaking, the mum of two opened the social media app and what she saw made her blood run cold.
Wannabe rapper Akim, 35, had secretly filmed Holly while they were being intimate.
In an act of so-called "revenge porn", he had taken screenshots of parts of her body and shared footage on the platform. "I felt sick," Holly, 36, a social worker, says. "Everything just stopped around me. My heart stopped.
"All I remember of that moment is saying 'Oh my God! Why is he doing this? Why?!""
SHOCK
Holly just had time to panic about how this might affect her daughters, aged 14 and 16, before the phone notifications began flooding in.
Akim had tagged Holly and urged others - including a person with 2,000 followers to share the post.
She says: "To my horror, it didn't end there. It actually went to thousands and thousands of people.
"It was shared via Snapchat, TikTok and also WhatsApp. He even tagged my account to the video. I was devastated.
"I was screaming inside my head and wanted to claw my way into the phone screen to make it stop.
"He told me, "You're finished' and 'Your whole year just got ruined. He said he was going to make me go viral." Holly, from Birmingham, first met Akim when they were teenagers.
This story is from the October 20, 2024 edition of The Sunday Mirror.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 20, 2024 edition of The Sunday Mirror.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Baker on a roll for play-offs
BAKER MAYFIELD is determined to take advantage of the good luck that has handed Tampa Bay their shot at a play-off place tonight.
Vik swoop is no Gyo after Ruben's vow
MANCHESTER UNITED will not be signing Swedish hot-shot Viktor Gyokeres this month because of a promise made by Ruben Amorim when he left Sporting Lisbon for Old Trafford.
GIBBS ME MORE
Nuno tells England ace: You've got extra skills in your locker...so let's see them
Team Espirito are no one-season wonders
A major irritant to the big boys. And this time, potentially, not just as a flash in the pan. Yes, Nottingham Forest, I'm talking about you.
KYRGIOS KEEPS HEAT ON SINNER
NICK KYRGIOS has warned he is not going “to shut up” about Jannik Sinner’s failed drug tests in the build-up to the Australian Open.
BRONSON'S FINAL SHOT AT RELEASE
Hardest prisoner in parole hearing
War crime suspects in Britain
Genocide charges 30 years on
CALL THIS JUSTICE?
Sam Hallam spent more than seven years in jail for a murder he didn't commit yet he has not received any compensation
Police to help female officers in menopause
Call for forces to switch shifts for tired cops
I spent nearly a decade moaning about the state of the country...it's brilliant to finally be able to do something
HEALTH SEC: I CAN'T WAIT TO REFORM THE NHS