Bridgerton actor Ruby Barker claims no one from Netflix, Shondaland helped her during her psychotic breaks

Actors have it tough. While they seem to have all the money and fame in the world, not always is their life as rosy as it seems from an outsider’s view. Bridgerton actor Ruby Barker recently opened up about the lack of support she received from the streamer Netflix and producers of her hit show Shondaland, even though she suffered two psychotic breaks while basking in the success. 

With a large, fleshed-out role of Featherington's cousin whose pregnancy becomes a major talking point on the show and makes her a social pariah in Regency-era London was a series regular. She starred in the first season of the breakout show and returned as a guest actor in season 2. But while everything was going great, she started experiencing psychotic breaks – first in 2019 after she wrapped up Bridgerton season 1 and then in 2022. But in all this while, Ruby claims that Netflix or anyone from Shondaland got in touch with her. 

In a statement, Ruby Barker said, “Not a single person from Netflix, not a single person from Shondaland, since I have had two psychotic breaks from that show, have even contacted me or even emailed me to ask me if I’m okay or if I would benefit from any sort of aftercare or support.”

According to the actress, her mental health started declining during the filming of Bridgerton. She claimed her character’s isolated nature negatively impacted her. She said, “During filming, I was deteriorating. It was a really tormenting place for me to be because my character was very alienated, very ostracized, on her own under these horrible circumstances.”

“When I went into hospital a week after shooting Bridgerton Season 1, it was really covered up and kept on the down-low because the show was going to be coming out. In the run-up to the show coming out, I was just coming out from the hospital, my Instagram following was going up, I had all these engagements to do… My life was changing drastically overnight and yet there was still no support and there still hasn’t been any support all that time. So I was trying really, really hard to act like it was ok and that I could work and that it wasn’t a problem,” she added. 

This is not the first time that Ruby has spoken about her deteriorating mental health. Earlier, in May 2022, she posted on Instagram about the same and wrote, “really unwell for a really long time” and have been “struggling since ‘Bridgerton.’” She thanked Netflix at the time for “saving her” by casting her in Bridgerton, but now she is criticising the streamer for not supporting her.

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