Actress Ruby Barker has opened up about experiencing a significant change in her body due to mental health treatment.
Ruby is known for playing Marina Thompson, a cousin of the Featheringtons, in Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton.
She was a series regular in season one, with her character shown as being pregnant out of wedlock, making her a social pariah in Regency-era London. In season two, she returned with her baby, married to Phillip Craine.
Image credits: Netflix
The 29-year-old took to Instagram last month to share a video at the gym. In the clip, she could be seen running on the treadmill and zooming in on a ticket that showed her weight at 112.5 kg (248.02 pounds).
Ruby detailed in the caption how medication for bipolar diagnosis had changed her metabolism and led to what she called “medical weight gain.”
Image credits: Netflix
“Many of you know my story and the battles I’ve faced living with bipolar disorder. This is the physical aftermath of eight months of treatment — and honestly, it’s brought a whole new mental challenge with it. Hooray,” she wrote.
“I’m doing what I can, and I’m grateful to have Oliver supporting me through it,” Ruby added, referring to her boyfriend.
“Please wish me luck on this journey, because it isn’t easy. I truly empathise with anyone struggling with their weight — the comparison, the mirror, the constant mental noise.”
Ruby previously criticized Netflix and producer Shondaland, claiming neither supported her after two psychotic breaks
Ruby admitted that some days she “hates” looking in the mirror and can’t stop comparing herself to her past weight or to others.
The British actress also stressed the importance of being patient with herself as she deals with the effects of her mental health condition.
“It can feel like a living nightmare, and it doesn’t resolve overnight,” she noted. “But on a positive note: today is my fourth day vape-free, and I’m already feeling the benefits in my cardio. One step at a time.”
Image credits: Netflix
In the comments, people offered words of encouragement and thanked Ruby for shedding light on the side effects of mental health medication.
Ruby, whose Bridgerton character had a story with Colin Bridgerton, previously revealed that she suffered two psychotic breaks, the first occurring after filming season one of the show.
“I’ve been struggling since Bridgerton, this is the truth,” Ruby said in a 2022 video. “I’ve been really unwell. I’m in hospital, I’m going to be discharged soon.”
Image credits: www.instagram.com
She explained that she had received a diagnosis and was “raged-filled, angry,” and had “all this intergenerational trauma bundled up inside me.”
At the time, she thanked Netflix for “saving her” by casting her in the hit series.
However, the following year, she called out the streamer for not offering support.
Image credits: www.instagram.com
Speaking on Oxford University’s LOAF Podcast, Ruby criticized Netflix and production company Shondaland, claiming that “not a single person” from either company had contacted her since her psychotic breaks.
The Wolfblood star explained that she was already “deteriorating” during filming for the show and drew parallels between how isolated her character felt and her own off-screen situation.
Image credits: rubybarkeractress
Image credits: Getty/Lia Toby
“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,” she said.
“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,” Ruby added on the podcast.
“It can feel like a living nightmare,” she said of her mental health journey
Image credits: rubybarker
Despite her mental health ordeal, the actress felt pressured to promote the “bubbly, fun” series, explaining that she feared she would lose career opportunities if she opened up about her feelings.
“It’s almost like I had this metaphorical invisible [weapon] to my head to sell this show,” she described.
Image credits: rubybarker
Image credits: rubybarker
Ruby’s most recent TV role was in Bridgerton in 2022. Two years later, she appeared in the horror film Baghead.
The London-born star won the Best Actress award at the 2020 British Urban Film Festival for her work in How To Stop A Recurring Dream.
