Shutterstock; Courtesy of Danielle Ruhl/Instgram
‘Love Is Blind’ Season 2 Star Danielle Ruhl Claims She Had ‘Suicidal Ideations’ While Filming
Personal battle. Netflix viewers watched as Love Is Blind season 2 star Danielle Ruhl missed out on the “couples’ party” due to an apparent stomach bug followed by a “full-blown panic attack.” However, she’s now claiming that wasn’t actually the case as she opened up about experiencing “suicidal ideations” while filming in Mexico.
Danielle, 30, took to TikTok on Thursday, April 20, to discuss the trauma she experienced while filming her season of the dating experiment.
“Nick [Thompson] and I were about to head out to the couples’ party, but [at the] last second they said that I couldn’t go because they thought I had COVID, which was weird to us because we had been together 24/7,” she said in the video. “I had a full-blown panic attack and went into the closet because I was scared that there were hidden cameras.”
She added that after Nick – whom she got engaged to and later married on the show – returned from the event, he realized that she “was alone the entire time” despite asking producers to have someone she trusted stay with her.
“I then told them that I tried committing suicide in the past, that I wasn’t trusting myself, that I was having suicidal ideations and that I had to go home,” she continued, adding that the $50,000 fine for leaving was “constantly in the back of [her] head.” “Right after I said that everyone from production, the crew, ran over to try to persuade us to stay. But no therapist.”
Prior to being cast on the Netflix series, Danielle claimed that contestants undergo a “30-minute screening with the psychologist,” where she admitted her past struggles and prior suicide attempts.
“Looking back, I probably shouldn’t have agreed to go on the show, and I really wish I was more educated and self-aware at the time,” she said. “I also did trust that the psychologist would not choose people that they did not deem mentally fit.”
Despite her season having been filmed nearly two years ago, the Chicago resident said she’s “still trying to re-find” herself.
“I did decide to take a leave of absence from work to attend an outpatient trauma therapy, but, I mean, I’m still struggling,” she added.
As for Kinetic Content, the production company behind the hit reality series, they told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement on April 18 that, “The wellbeing of our participants is of paramount importance to Kinetic. We have rigorous protocols in place to care for each person before, during, and after filming.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
