Bridgerton’s Ruby Barker has slammed Netflix after she claimed the streaming site ‘failed to contact’ her when she was hospitalised after filming the show.
The actress, 26, played Marina Thompson in the first series of the modernised period drama and has been open about her struggles with her mental health in the past.
Speaking candidly on the LOAF Podcast on Saturday, Ruby said that she suffered two psychotic breaks – including one shortly after filming wrapped in 2019 and another in 2022.
She claimed that she had received ‘no support’ from Netflix amid her struggles and that there was no ‘aftercare’ even while dealing with a sudden rise to fame.
Ruby said: ‘When I went into hospital a week after shooting Bridgerton season one it was really covered up and kept on the down-low because the show was going to be coming out.
Speaking out: Bridgerton ‘s Ruby Barker has slammed Netflix after she claimed the streaming site ‘failed to contact’ her when she was hospitalised after filming the show
Candid: The actress plays Marina Thompson in the hit Netflix series (Pictured on set with co-star Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton)
‘During filming I was deteriorating. It was a really tormenting place for me to be because my character was very alienated, very ostracised, on her own under these horrible circumstances.
‘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 if I’m ok or if I would benefit from any sort of aftercare or support. Nobody.’
Ruby’s character Marina unexpectedly becomes pregnant as she stays with her distant cousins the Featheringtons, who treat her with disdain.
Marina also catches the attention of Colin Bridgerton, inciting the jealousy of Penelope Featherington, who has long harboured a crush on him.
The How To Stop A Recurring Dream actress added that her difficulties continued a year after filming when the show came out.
She explained she felt pressure to appear ‘bubbly’ in line with the feel of the show, stating it felt like an ‘invisible gun’ was being held to her head.
Ruby continued: ‘In the run up to the show coming out I was just coming out from 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.
Tough: She captioned the post: ‘Mental health week is every week for me. Off my chest. I feel like I’ve not been completely honest so this is for my followers’
‘It’s almost like I had this metaphorical invisible gun to my head to sell this show because this show is bubbly and fun. I don’t wanna come out and pooh-pooh on that because then I might never work again!’
A psychotic break occurs when a person begins to lose touch with reality due to a decline in their mental health.
It can be a sign of a medical condition or a reaction to a traumatic event. Symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions, and confused thoughts.
MailOnline has reached out to Netflix for comment.
In May last year Ruby revealed she was ‘taking a little break’ after being hospitalised during her ‘mental health struggle’.
The actress said she had been ‘struggling since Bridgerton’ but was now looking forward to ‘continuing with her life.’
Taking to Instagram, Ruby addressed her followers in the honest clip as she thanked her fans and family for their support as well as Netflix for ‘saving her’.
‘I am going to take a bit of a break’: Bridgerton’s Ruby Barker revealed her mental health struggle in an Instagram post last year
She began: ‘I am better, I have been really unwell for a really long time. 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.
‘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.’
Explaining her feelings she continued: ‘I was raged-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, I am drawing a line in the sand.
‘I can’t carry on the way that I was, I need to change so that is what I am trying to do. I want to survive and I will survive, I am going to.’
Ruby concluded the video as she gave thanks to her friends and family, as well as streaming service, Netflix, for giving her an opportunity and ‘saving her.’
She captioned the post: ‘Mental health week is every week for me. 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.’
To contact the Samaritans, call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
Sensation: The actress (pictured in character) also said it ‘means everything’ to have been in the diverse show after thinking she wouldn’t get to star in a ‘period drama because of her race’