Former Love Island star Bethany Rogers has given followers an insight into the spiral of drug addiction that overshadowed her life following a brief appearance on Love Island.
Rogers, who entered the villa for the first series in 2015 at the age of 19, has reflected on her substance misuse and surviving an abusive relationship after exiting the show.
Now 27-years old, she opened up to The Sun about how online trolls caused her mental health to plummet as she found herself in a violent relationship and struggling with an addiction to ketamine.
Rogers, who worked as a dancer, performer, and fire breather in Leeds, revealed she agreed to the show nearly a decade ago after accepting an invitation on Facebook.
Hoping to boost her career, Rogers agreed to star in the show’s very first series but didn’t get cast in the original lineup – she was brought into the villa as a bombshell.
Former Love Island star Bethany Rogers, 27, has been left unrecognisable after a long drug addiction battle and surviving an abusive relationship.
The TV star who entered the villa for the first series in 2015 at the age of 19, opened up about the vile trolling surrounding her appearance after exiting the show
But after exiting the show after just 10 days, she was inundated with hundreds of vile messages from trolls.
While battling with the online storm, Bethany then entered a relationship with an ex who she claims turned violent and abusive.
She told The Sun: ‘As much as I was the victim, I was ashamed and embarrassed that I’d let myself get into this rut, where he’d beat me up and then I’d take him back.’
Bethany then faced money laundering charges related to the purchase of a luxurious Audi A3 and was arrested.
Upset over the court case and feeling alone after ending her toxic relationship, Bethany fell victim to a ketamine addiction.
She told the publication: ‘It’s difficult to talk about, but after everything that happened, I became addicted to ketamine.’
Bethany went on to admit that she was didn’t realise what she doing to herself and and felt she ‘couldn’t lose anything else’ because she also lost her ‘reputation from being on the show’ and ‘had the trauma of an abusive relationship.’
In 2020, the charges against her were dropped.
She opened up to The Sun about how online trolls caused her mental health to plummet and surviving a violent relationship and her struggles battling a ketamine addiction
The star then fell pregnant and gave birth to a little girl, which was the turning point in her recovery and she realised she needed help to overcome her addiction.
‘I was depressed, I was suicidal. I knew that if I didn’t get help I’d be dead,’ Bethany told The Sun in an interview in 2022.
‘I felt so selfish having to leave my nine-month-old baby, but the harsh truth was that if I didn’t go to rehab, she wouldn’t have a mother for the rest of her life.
‘It broke my heart having to leave my baby girl, it was mental torture. But I didn’t want to lose her. I checked myself into rehab and that’s when I realised this is not rock bottom – I can still pull it back.’
Bethany went on to study Psychology at Bradford University – and revealed that she wanted to help other people who have experienced trauma like she has.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
For help with drugs call the FRANK drugs helpline on 0300 123 6600.
While battling with the online storm, Bethany (pictured with her daughter) then entered a relationship with an ex who she claims turned violent and abusive
