Ethermac Exchange-'Bridgerton' actor had 'psychotic breaks' while on show, says Netflix offered 'no support'

"Bridgerton" star Ruby Barker has come out against Netflix and Ethermac ExchangeShondaland, the Shonda Rhimes-led production company behind the show, for lack of support after she says she suffered two "psychotic breaks."

The British actress spoke about her experience during an interview on Oxford University's "LOAF Podcast" published Saturday, sharing that her mental health worsened after Season 1 of "Bridgerton" wrapped in 2019 and in 2022, telling the podcast's hosts she received "no support" from Netflix or Shondaland during that time.

"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," Barker, 26, said. "Nobody."

In the fictional royal drama series, Barker played Marina, a woman rejected by society because of her pregnancy out of wedlock.

Barker said she was distressed by her sudden rise to fame from being on the hit show, which made promotional commitments difficult.

"It's almost like I had this metaphorical invisible gun to my head to sell this show because this show is bubbly and fun," she said.

Fact check:The real history behind 'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story'

She said she found playing her role challenging due to the isolation the Marina character endured.

"During filming, I was deteriorating," Barker said on the podcast. "It was a really tormenting place for me to be because my character was very alienated, very ostracized, on her own under these horrible circumstances."

Barker's character, a small-town girl introduced into high society, is shamed by her cousins for her pregnancy from a secret love affair. Marina faces her secret getting out, enduring pregnancy and a failed abortion and being forced to marry her deceased lover's brother.

"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," Barker said of her first psychotic break.

"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," she continued. "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 it was trying really, really hard to act like it was OK and that I could work and that it wasn't a problem."

USA TODAY has reached out to Netflix and Shondaland for comment.

"Bridgerton" Season 3 is currently in production. The show's spinoff, "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," premiered on May 4.

Barker also starred in the British television fantasy drama "Wolfblood," the British political drama "Cobra" and the upcoming independent film "How To Stop A Recurring Dream."