Ruby Barker, who plays Marina Thompson on the wildly popular romantic drama Bridgerton, took to Instagram and spoke candidly about her recent hospitalization for mental health struggles and what she further described as being “really unwell for a really long time.” The 25-year-old disclosed that she finally learned of her diagnosis and feels better now, explaining the root of her problem was “raged-filled” and “angry” with “intergenerational trauma bundled up inside.”
The British native says she hopes to fulfill all of her engagements soon after being discharged from the hospital and wants to have a good career, a good life and not want her diagnosis to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Barker’s character in Julia Quinn’s books does have a way bigger role than what has been seen on the Netflix series so far.
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Ruby Barker Not Only Shares Her Story but Also Left Uplifting Message for Instagram Followers
Feeling it was time to be transparent, Barker told fans via Instagram:
See her heartfelt message below:
“I am in hospital at the minute, and I am going to be discharged soon and hopefully get to continue with my life. I am going to take a little break for myself, and I would encourage others, if you are struggling, please do yourself a favor and take a break. Stop being so hard on yourself. 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. I can’t carry on the way that I’ve been carrying on. I need to change, so that’s what I am trying to do. I want to survive, and I will survive. I am going to.”
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Ruby Barker also thanked Netflix and Bridgerton executive producer Shonda Rhimes “for giving me an opportunity, for saving me,” as well as her close friends and mentors. In the show, Barker’s character, Marina, is sent to live with her cousins, the Featheringtons, after coming down with a case of “pregnancy out of wedlock” by a soldier named George Crane. After being rejected by George Crane, Marina and her cousin devise schemes to cover up the scandal, all of which fail, but luckily George’s brother Phil offers his own hand in marriage to uphold the family’s honor and Marina eventually gives birth to twins.
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A post shared by Ruby Barker (@rubybarker)
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