Bridgerton actor Ruby Barker opens up about a recent abusive relationship: ‘Easy target, I guess’

Ruby Barker, known for playing Marina on Bridgerton, took to her Instagram account recently to share with fans something harrowing she went through. The actor shared a long note detailing an abusive relationship she was in and how it ended with her in the hospital by the end of 2023. “Trigger warning: BTS 2023. What happens behind closed doors? Nobodies daughter or son deserves this. My father died and my mum out the picture, easy target, I guess,” she wrote, sharing the note. (Also Read: Bridgerton season 3 shifts focus to Colin and Penelope's love story)

The note

In the note, Ruby details that she met a man after her father’s passing in January 2023. What began as him staying back to help her clean up after a party soon turned volatile, she claims. She detailed how he would verbally and physically abuse her, alleging that his family enabled him in putting her through this trauma. “I know I joke a lot but this was not funny and ultimately nearly killed me,” she wrote, adding, “I was so confused and ultimately all I wanted was my Dad back.”

Seeking help

While she did not reveal who her abuser was, she does reveal that she did seek help eventually but decided not to file a formal complaint. “I spent nights on the phone to the Samaritans and the Police would call me and come by my place to see if I was okay. I didn’t want to press charges. Refuge helped me understand what the cycle of abuse was and what it looks like. He knows. I know. Now you know too,” she wrote. Ruby turned off the comments under her post.

Generational trauma

Ruby disclosed in 2022 that she had been hospitalised for mental health reasons, stating that she was “unwell for a really long time.” She claimed that it was “all this intergenerational trauma bundled up” inside her. She was discharged from the hospital in May 2022 and encouraged her fans to seek professional help if they struggle. In 2023, she called out Netflix and Shondaland for failing to provide her adequate support when she suffered from two psychotic breaks in 2019 and 2022 while shooting for Bridgerton.

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