Bridgerton’s Ruby Barker Reveals She Checked Into Hospital While Struggling With Mental Health

Ruby Barker, who you might know better as our dear Marina Thompson from Bridgerton, revealed on Instagram that she’s really struggling with her mental health and has checked herself into hospital since filming the show.

The Netflix star uploaded a lengthy video on Thursday where she asked fans how they’re *really* doing and then candidly spoke about her own struggles.

“Mental health week is every week for me,” she wrote in the post’s caption.

“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 me up.”

In the emotional clip, Barker spoke about being unwell for “a really long time”, but said her time in the hospital helped her improve.

“I want to be honest with everyone. I have been struggling. I am in hospital at the minute and I am going to be discharged soon and hopefully get to continue with my life,” she said.

“I am going to take a little bit of a break for myself and I would encourage others, if you are struggling, do yourself a favour and take a break. Stop being so hard on yourself.”

She urged fans to really take a step back and evaluate their needs, because it really is “mad out there”.

“We really need to change the dialogue, the linguistics, of how we talk about mental health,” she said.

“I was rage-filled, angry, all this intergenerational trauma bundled up inside me.

“I was carrying the weight of the world on my back and now I am at the point where I have a diagnosis and I will talk to you about that at another time.”

Barker stressed the importance of self-reflection and communication, saying she “couldn’t carry on the way I carried on.”

“I need to thank Netflix, Shonda Rhimes and Shondaland for saving me and giving me an opportunity.”

It can be incredibly difficult to speak about mental health with this level of candour, especially with the added spotlight of a massive show like Bridgerton. Ultimately, dialogue like this is essential to helping destigmatise mental illness.

Ruby Barker’s openness about her experiences is incredibly powerful and it’s great to see she’s now getting adequate support.

If you need mental health support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online

Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.

If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.

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