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On November 21, Natalya Scudder posted a video to her Instagram opening up about her mental health struggles and reliving her “worst nightmare” while watching season 8 of “Below Deck Mediterranean” airing on Bravo.
Scudder pointed out that the show didn’t portray the full story of what was going on behind the scenes but acknowledged that it was her decision to sign up for reality TV. However, the Australian stew continued, “The online bullying has been horrific not just for me, like, across the cast.”
Scudder acknowledged that she’d been a part of the online bullying culture as she’d retaliated on negative posts or comments but pledged to fans that she would no longer partake. She also said she was planning to post content that showed the “good and bad” of her life.
“Ps please don’t see this at a sympathy video of any sort,” Scudder wrote in the caption. “This season I talk about my mental health a fair bit so this video is for people who are also struggling and to let them know that they are not alone. Social media is not reality! I promise to try show everyone the good and bad times from this moment on.”
In the emotional video, Scudder dove more into her backstory and explained some of her struggles with depression and anxiety, which began in her teenage years.
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Natalya Scudder Spoke About Her Mental Health Struggles & Opened Up About a Traumatic Assault at 21
During her video, Scudder got vulnerable as she shared with viewers that she began suffering from depression as a teenager. By the time she was 15 or 16, she ended up in the hospital, she said. The Australian native said she struggled with counseling afterward as she often got dismissive responses and had trouble resharing her story again and again.
When she was working in Barcelona at the age of 21, Scudder revealed that she was sexually assaulted by two people and it had a profound impact on her. She left her job and returned home, where she confided in her mother and sought therapy. In an emotional moment, Scudder admitted that she had never publicly discussed it and it would be the first time most of her friends and family found out what happened.
The stewardess said she was in a vulnerable place when she met her partner that she was dating during “Below Deck Med” season 8 and it felt good to be in love. However, she said she fell in love with him before she learned what kind of relationship he wanted. That said, Scudder said the two are no longer together.
Natalya Scudder Left ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ Season 8 in the 9th Episode
During the 9th episode of “Below Deck Mediterranean” season 8, Scudder made the difficult decision to leave the yacht mid-charter season.
The Australian native was struggling with being away from her boyfriend and the open nature of their relationship, and she also had clashed with chief stew Tumi Mhlongo in earlier episodes. Everything came to a head after a crew night out when she had a major fight with Kyle Viljoen and felt like the majority of the crew didn’t care about her feelings afterward.
Scudder sat down with Captain Sandy Yawn and told her that she had to leave the yacht to focus on her own mental health, a decision that Yawn supported completely.
If you or someone you know is struggling, NAMI outlines many free resources offering immediate help for those facing a mental health crisis and has its own hotline, open from Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern time at 800-950-NAMI (6264).
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