Bridgerton's Ruby Barker has spoken honestly about her mental health on Instagram %%

"How are you? How are you really though?" she asks.

Bridgerton actress, Ruby Barker has spoken honestly about her mental health struggles in a video uploaded to Instagram. The 25-year-old who plays Lady Marina Crane in the hit Netflix period drama, opened up about a recent stay in hospital.

In the initial video, Barker begins by asking: "How are you? How are you really though?" She then shared that she was in hospital, had started feeling better and would soon be discharged. Speaking candidly, she told the camera:

"I've been really unwell for a really long time and I just want to be honest with everybody: I am struggling."

During the five-minute video posted last week, Barker shares how she's planning on taking a break and encourages others who are struggling to also do the same and not to be hard on themselves.

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"People always told me to stop being so hard on myself and I never really, really knew what that meant. What does that really mean? To stop being hard on yourself or to love yourself? You hear these terms, you hear these buzzwords...catchphrases...and the world can be such a confusing place.Sometimes you just got to take a break and you got to say: "I can't do this right now. I need support" - and that's basically where I've got to."

She stressed that she hadn't hit "rock bottom" but was instead on "new heights", urging people to think about the linguistics used when talking about mental health: "We really need to change the dialogue...because people want to have these conversations but we don't even know how to have these conversations."

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In a follow up video posted to her Instagram yesterday, Barker said the response to her sharing her mental health struggles had been "incredible". Visibly moved, she said: "You've made me feel so happy to be alive and I'm so grateful for that."

"I really didn't know what to expect when I put that video up. I didn't expect so many people to reach out to me and let me know how they're doing and tell me about their own mental health struggles."

Barker goes on to say, the response and shared stories have made her feel less alone and she hopes that it has offered some comfort too to those also struggling with their mental health.

Amy Sedghi is a freelance journalist, specialising in health and fitness, travel, beauty, sustainability and cycling.

Having started her career in The Guardian newsroom working with an award-winning team, Amy's proud to have reported on a variety of topics, speaking to a range of voices and travelling far and wide to do so. From interviews on ski lifts to writing up breaking stories outside courtrooms, Amy is used to reporting from a range of locations (she’s even been known to type up a story in a tent).

She also loves being active, spending time outdoors and travelling - with some of her favourite features she’s worked on combining all three. Cycling and eating her way round the Isle of Man, learning to sail on the Côte d'Azur and traversing the Caminito del Rey path in Spain are just some of her highlights.

Covering a diverse range of subjects appeals to Amy. One minute she may be writing about her online styling session with Katie Holmes’ stylist and the next she’s transporting readers to the basketball courts of Haringey where she joined a group trying to lower knife crime in the capital.

While at university, Amy was awarded The Media Society bursary. Following her stint at the Guardian, Amy worked at Google and as well as writing for Marie Claire, she regularly contributes interviews, features and articles to National Geographic Traveller, The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, Stylist, Refinery29, Glorious Sport, Cycling Weekly and Rouleur.

When she’s not writing, Amy can be found trying to get through her towering stack of books-to-read, cycling down at Herne Hill Velodrome or looking for the next place to eat and drink with friends.