Holly Madison, ‘Girls Next Door’ Star, Shows off Dramatic Transformation 4 Years After Giving Birth to Second Child

Former Girls Next Door star Holly Madison showed off another dramatic transformation photo on Instagram Friday. The reality television star told fans she finally hit her goal weight four years after she welcomed son Forest in August 2016. Holly and her ex-husband, Pasquale Rotella, are also parents to daughter Rainbow Aurora, who was born in March 2013.

Madison, 40, shared a mirror selfie, alongside another selfie taken during her pregnancy. In the caption, she said she was “excited” to finally reach her goal weight, but she pointed out that it was not an easy journey. After Forest was born, she said losing weight was not her “first priority.” While it was easy to lose weight after Rainbow was born, the same could not be said after her second pregnancy, Madison wrote.

“I was working on a novel and I was terrified that if I went on a diet I would be hungry, cranky, lightheaded, and unable to concentrate,” the former Playboy model wrote. “I tried to lose weight just by working out and moderately watching what I eat at first, but even though I was doing really challenging workouts almost every day, nothing was budging.” She finally decided to go to a nutritionist last year, who helped her make real progress.

“Only recently was I able to incorporate both a diet and exercise into my day. For a while, it was a struggle because it seemed I only had time for one: [work out] OR make sure I had all the foods I need to stick to my diet,” Madison wrote. She said she wanted to share this long “disclaimer” next to the photo “because I know there are so many moms out there who feel bad because [they] don’t always lose the weight quickly. The same methods don’t necessarily work for everyone. Just remember, if you haven’t made it to your physical goal yet, it’s because you’re a boss with a million things going on and you are probably killing it more than you think you are.”

Madison rarely shares pictures of her children on Instagram, but she did post a photo with Forest on Aug. 7 to celebrate his birthday, as well as a gallery of photos of her children. “We’re celebrating tomorrow, but today is my Little Man Forest’s birthday! I love him so much,” she wrote. Rainbow appeared on Madison’s Instagram page on March 15 for her birthday as well.

Madison and Rotella married in September 2013. They broke up five years later and finalized their divorce in February 2019. Their split was amicable, Rotella said in a statement in 2018. “We remain the best of friends while co-parenting and continuing to support one another in our respective passions in life,” he said at the time. “Though it was not a decision we made hastily or take lightly.”