Allison Holker Responds to Accusation She’s ‘Disgracing’ tWitch’s Name with New Interview, Book

Holker is currently promoting her upcoming memoir, This Far: My Story of Love, Loss, and Embracing the Light, in which, per her publisher, she “reveals how she has navigated the emotional and financial aftermath of Stephen’s choice, guided their three children in their grief while managing the outpouring from a well-meaning public, and reopened herself to the next chapter in her professional and personal life.” 

After sharing the video above from her cover story with PEOPLE magazine on Tuesday to her own Instagram page, one of her followers commented, “This whole thing made me sad. He’s gone. Why tear apart this name? I was fully supportive about you moving in and being happy but this@paycheck was not worth disgracing his name.”

Holker responded to the comment, writing, “I’ll always love you. Just trying to help people feel safe to ask for help and support.”

The fan followed up, saying, “I imagine it can’t be easy going through what you’ve been through. There will be a lot of hate thrown your way but it’s not for me to judge splice a difficult situation”; they then apologized for “jumping to conclusions.”

Holker also re-shared a post from another fan defending her from backlash.

“The fact that people are tearing [Holker] down, especially people that were supposed to be in her corner (former colleagues, friends, some of her late husbands family) when she has slowly started to work out the events of the last two years, and is hoping to share her story to HELP OTHERS is wild,” the fan wrote.

“She is allowed to share what she’s gone thought, and do it so that she can be transparent and help others in the process,” they continued. “Allison, I hope you know that even though there is some emotional hate coming at you, that there are so many more that love you and your honesty and vulnerability.”

In the video, Holker encouraged others to seek help while dealing with trauma.

“I’ve had some major lows as I’m trying to figure this out and navigate this myself and I’m very scared to ask for help. And I’m learning how much strength it actually shows when you decide to stand up for yourself and ask for help, and finally lean on someone,” she explained.

“I know for me, for the last two years, I felt like I wanted to get my kids through everything. I wanted to get my family through everything. And I wanted to get all my friends and all the fans and all these people that loved our family so much, I wanted to make sure I could carry them and get them through it,” she continued. “And then I realized, well, wait, I haven’t taken a moment to also heal myself. And so it’s like I’m learning that what he experienced, I want to be an example of now and show other people they can do it.”

Though not mentioned in the video above, Holker has been making headlines for other comments she made in her wide-ranging interview with the publication, specifically for describing the moment she allegedly found a stash of drugs hidden in their closet while selecting an outfit for her husband’s funeral following his death.

The pro dancer said she found a “cornucopia” of drugs — including mushrooms, pills and “other substances I had to look up on my phone” — hidden inside his shoeboxes.

“It was a really triggering moment for me because there were a lot of things I discovered in our closet that I did not know existed. It was very alarming to me to learn that there was so much happening that I had no clue [about],” she continued. “It was a really scary moment in my life to figure that out, but it also helped me process that he was going through so much and he was hiding so much, and there must have been a lot of shame in that.”

Speaking more generally, she told PEOPLE, “It really hurts me that Stephen held everything in for as long as he did. He was always so strong for everyone.”

“It’s important for me to share the truth to make things easier for someone else,” she also told the outlet. “I want someone that maybe is struggling with their own mental health and having questions of if they want to take themselves to the other side — don’t do it because you’re going to affect way more people than you ever knew. If you just ask for help, someone could help you find the light again.”

Of Boss, she added, “I wish he would’ve felt comfortable asking for help, wanted to go to therapy and talk to his friends or loved ones.”

This Far: My Story of Love, Loss, and Embracing the Light comes out Feb. 4 from Harper Select and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.