The reality star shared an emotional statement on social media, saying she is seeking professional help and asking for grace as she focuses on her health

NEED TO KNOW

• Melissa Rycroft addressed her second DWI arrest in a social media statement on Nov. 3, saying she is “getting professional care”
• The Bachelor alum was arrested on Nov. 1 following an alleged hit-and-run involving a Southlake Fire Department ambulance in Texas
• Rycroft previously pled guilty to a 2025 DWI charge and was sentenced to 20 months of probation

Melissa Rycroft-Strickland is opening up about her mental health following her second DWI arrest in just over a year.

The Bachelor alum, 43, shared a personal statement on social media on Tuesday, Nov. 3, acknowledging the impact of her recent arrest and revealing that she is seeking professional care after privately struggling with her mental health.

“First, please know how deeply ashamed and embarrassed I am, especially knowing how much this has affected my friends and family,” she began.

Rycroft went on to explain that she had been dealing with mental health struggles for some time, adding that she had tried to conceal what she was experiencing from those around her.

“I want to share something personal, and to be honest, I am very ashamed to share it, but I can’t hide it anymore. I’ve been struggling with my mental health for quite some time now. It has completely overwhelmed me. 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,” she wrote.

The former reality star also acknowledged that she needed help and said she had begun receiving professional care.

“No excuses at all, but I’m finally admitting that I need 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 continued.

Rycroft added that she hopes to feel like herself again and emphasized that her family has supported her throughout the difficult period.

“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,” she wrote. “That’s what I’m working toward for all of us.”

She concluded by asking for understanding as she focuses on her health and requested privacy for her family.

“Please have some grace with me, if you have it in your heart, as I focus on trying to get healthy, and please respect my family’s privacy as they navigate this with me, too,” she wrote.

The statement comes after Rycroft was arrested in Southlake, Texas, on Sunday, Nov. 1, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, according to jail records viewed by PEOPLE.

The incident began around 5:50 p.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 31, when an ambulance operated by the Southlake Fire Department was struck by another vehicle while stopped at a stop sign. The driver of the other vehicle allegedly left the scene, prompting officers to investigate the hit-and-run, according to a Southlake Police Department press release.

Officers located the driver a short time later and identified her as Rycroft Strickland, police said.

Following an investigation, Rycroft-Strickland was charged with DWI, second offense, driving with an invalid license and an accident involving damage to a vehicle exceeding $200, according to the department. No injuries were reported, and her bond was set at a combined $9,000, police said.

The arrest came approximately two months after Rycroft-Strickland pleaded guilty to a previous DWI charge stemming from a September 2025 arrest.

The earlier incident occurred on Sept. 23, 2025, when Southlake police responded to a single-vehicle crash and found a black Cadillac Escalade that had struck a tree. Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle driving erratically before the crash, according to the department.

Rycroft-Strickland was arrested and charged with DWI following the incident, police said.

She later pleaded guilty and was sentenced in September 2026 to 20 months of probation and $2,000 in fines and court costs, according to Us Weekly. A judge also ordered her to complete 36 hours of community service, take a DWI education course and undergo a substance abuse evaluation.

Following her previous arrest, Rycroft-Strickland briefly addressed her situation on social media.

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“Life really sucks right now and I’m struggling, but I’m trying to march forward….but thank you for the sweet words in what seems like a world of negativity…” she wrote at the time.

Rycroft first rose to fame on the 13th season of The Bachelor in 2009, when she accepted a proposal from Jason Mesnick before he ended their engagement on live television in favor of runner-up Molly Mesnick.

She competed on Dancing with the Stars later that year and returned in 2012, when she won the all-star season.

Rycroft-Strickland shares three children with her husband, Tye Strickland, whom she married in 2009.

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