‘Bridgerton’ actor Ruby Barker shares update from a hospital following mental health crisis
“Bridgerton” actor Ruby Barker shared a vulnerable and honest message on social media last night.
The actor, who plays Marina Thompson in the Regency England-set Netflix series, updated fans on her mental well-being on Thursday, admitting that she had been “struggling” for some time.
In a video posted on her Instagram page, the 25-year-old said she had carried “the weight of the world on my back” up until recently.
“How are you? How are you really, though? You know?” she asked fans at the start of her video, before answering the question for herself.
“I am... better. I’ve been really unwell for a really long time. And I just want to be honest with everybody. I have been struggling, you know? So I’m in hospital at the minute. I’m gonna get discharged soon and hopefully get to continue, you know, with my life,” she said.
“Mental health week is every week for me,” she captioned the video post shared on her Instagram page. “Off my chest. I feel like I’ve not been completely honest so this is for my followers. Time to be transparent. I’ve been struggling since 'Bridgerton,' this is the truth. Thank you all for supporting me, your love holds.”
The actor was candid about her plans to take a “bit of a break” for herself and encouraged others who are also struggling to take time for themselves.
“The world can be such a confusing place, and you’re trying to do you at the same time (the world) is having all these existential threats, you know, it is mad out here. It is mad,” she remarked. “And sometimes you just got to take a break. You’ve got to say, ‘I can’t do this right now. I need support.’ And, and that’s basically where I’ve gotten to.”
Though she did not share what treatment she sought in the hospital or share a diagnosis, the "Bridgerton" actor thanked her supporters. Barker expressed her appreciation to her mentors, Netflix and Shonda Rhimes (who serves as an executive producer on “Bridgerton”) for “saving” her.
In the video, Barker revealed that she recently walked from her role in a West End production of “Running with Lions," noting she made the decision after her struggles with mental health were compounded by the contraction of COVID-19.
“I got Covid, and I was really struggling with my mental health, and I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it.”
Barker also underlined her desire to get back to her acting engagements when the time comes. “I haven’t hit rock bottom," she remarked, optimistically adding that she is “on new heights.”
“I cannot wait to fulfill all of my engagements and to have a good career and a good life,” she remarked. “I want to survive, and I will survive, and I’m going to, and so are you.”
