Melissa Rycroft is speaking out after her second DWI arrest in two months. The former Bachelor contestant and Dancing With the Stars winner was taken into custody in Tarrant County, Texas, on November 1 on charges including DWI and driving with an invalid license. Police allege she hit an ambulance and drove off before being taken into custody. The arrest came just two months after she pleaded guilty to a prior DWI charge.
On November 3, Rycroft posted an Instagram statement calling herself“deeply ashamed and embarrassed,”especially for how much it has affected her friends and family. She went on to say she has fought this alone for a long time and is finally admitting she can’t do it anymore.“I’m getting professional care,”she wrote, adding that she has struggled with her mental health for quite some time.
Rycroft became a household name in 2009 on Jason Mesnick’s season of The Bachelor and won season 8 of DWTS later that year. The legal case is serious and ongoing, but her message about asking for help is landing with fans who watched her smile through the franchise’s most famous breakup. How do you think fans should respond when a public figure admits they’ve been hiding a struggle?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.