Bridgerton’s Ruby Barker is opening up about her ental health struggles and subsequent hospitalization in support of Mental Health Week.
Barker, who plays Marina Thompson on the Netflix period romance series, shared a six-minute-long Instagram video chronicling her experience. “Mental health week is every week for me,” the actress captioned the video. “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. #mentalhealthawareness.”
Barker also admits that while she is better, she’s been “really unwell for a really long time,” especially since filming Bridgerton. “I just want to be honest with everybody. I have been struggling. So, I’m in hospital at the minute, and I’m going to get discharged soon and hopefully get to continue with my life,” the 25-year-old continued.
A post shared by Ruby Barker (@rubybarker)
Upon release, Barker plans to take a break from acting, noting that this is something others should allow themselves to do, as well. “I want to encourage others: if you are struggling, please do yourself a favor and take a break. Stop being so hard on yourself,” Barker said. “It is mad out here! And sometimes you just have to take a break and say, ‘I can’t do this right now, I need support.’”
Barker later admitted that prior to struggling herself, she hadn’t felt particularly passionate about mental health awareness. But she was still “rage-filled, frustrated, and angry,” full of “all this intergenerational trauma bundled up inside me.” Therefore addressing the situation — and recovering in the hospital — have actually been positive for the actress, as she is now able to properly heal.
“I haven’t hit rock bottom; I’m on new heights,” Barker reiterated. “We really need to change the dialogue and think about our linguistics when we’re actually talking about mental health.”
Before you go, check out the mental health apps we love for extra TLC:
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