The Bachelor alum Melissa Rycroft is speaking out for the first time following her second DWI arrest.
“First, please know how deeply ashamed and embarrassed I am, especially knowing how much this has affected my friends and family,” Rycroft, 43, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, November 3. “I want to share something personal, and to be honest, I am very ashamed to share it, but I can’t hide it anymore.”
The former Dancing With the Stars winner claimed she has been “struggling with my mental health for quite some time.”
“It has completely overwhelmed me,” she continued. “I’ve tried to hide what I’ve been going through by putting on a smile, but behind the scenes, things have been much harder than anyone realized or that I have let on, even to my family.”
While Rycroft said it’s no excuse for her allegedly getting behind the wheel while intoxicated, she “finally” admitted that she needs “help.”
“I’ve fought this for a long time on my own, and it’s time to admit that I can’t do it anymore. I’m getting professional care,” she shared. “This is so hard to say and the shame is still very much there, but I’m ready to feel like myself again, for me and for my family. They have stood by me through all of this, and they deserve honesty. They deserve me at my best. That’s what I’m working toward for all of us.”
Two months after pleading guilty to a 2025 DWI charge, Rycroft was arrested on November 1 for another alleged DWI.
According to records viewed by Us, Tarrant County Corrections Center in Texas held Rycroft on three charges issued earlier that day — driving while intoxicated, driving with an invalid license and a collision involving damage to a vehicle under $200.
Police claim Rycroft allegedly hit an ambulance and drove off before she was ultimately taken into custody.
“Please have some grace with me, if you have it in your heart, as I focus on trying to get healthy,” she said in her latest social media post. “And please respect my family’s privacy as they navigate this with me too. Thank you.”
Rycroft was a contestant on 2009’s season 13 of The Bachelor and got engaged to Jason Mesnick. Shortly after their on-air proposal, Mesnick, 50, left Rycroft, explaining he had true feelings for runner-up Molly Malaney. The duo later got married in 2010.
Rycroft, herself, married Tye Strickland and the pair share three children together.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
