Melissa Rycroft on Tuesday cited mental health struggles in her first public comments following her driving while intoxicated arrest Sunday in Texas, linked to a hit-and-run on an ambulance.’First, please know how deeply ashamed and embarrassed I am, especially knowing how much this has affected my friends and family,’ the reality star, 43, said. ‘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.’Rycroft was arrested months after she entered a guilty plea to driving while intoxicated this past August in connection with a September 2025 incident, in which she received 20 months of probation.Southlake Police told The Daily Mail in a statement that officers responded to reports of a hit-and-run collision involving a driver who struck an ambulance that was stopped at a stop sign at around 5:50 p.m. Saturday.The Daily Mail has reached out to Rycroft’s attorney for further comment on the story. The Bachelor alum Melissa Rycroft, 43, cited mental health struggles in her first public comments following her driving while intoxicated arrest Sunday in Texas, linked to a hit-and-run on an ambulance. Pictured in her mugshot The Dallas-born TV personality, who has been seen on The Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars, said she has been ‘completely overwhelmed’ amid the tough times, doing her best to conceal her state of mind to her loved ones.’I’ve tried to hide what I’ve been going through by putting on a smile,’ Rycroft said, ‘but behind the scenes, things have been much harder than anyone realized or that I have let on, even to my family.’Rycroft said she’s not making ‘excuses’ for the conduct, but rather ‘finally admitting that’ she’s in need of, and getting, ‘professional care.’She added, ‘I have fought this for a long time on my own and it’s time to admit that I can’t do it anymore.’Rycroft said that the admission was ‘hard to say and the shame is still very much there,’ but she feels the time has come to make a change.’I’m ready to feel like myself again, for me and for my family,’ Rycroft said. ‘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.’Rycroft ended her statement in asking for ‘grace’ as she focuses ‘on trying to get healthy,’ adding, ‘Please respect my family’s privacy as they navigate this with me too.’ No injuries were reported, authorities said, adding that officers subsequently located the driver of the hit-and-run vehicle, who was identified as Rycroft. She was subsequently transported to the Keller Regional Detention Facility for processing.Rycroft, a one-time Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, was taken into custody by the Southlake Police Department in connection with second-degree driving while intoxicated, which has a $7,500 bond, according to records. The reality star posted her first statement in the wake of her second DUI in two years Rycroft pictured in a mug shot following a September 23, 2025 DWI arrest Rycroft pictured at an event in February of 2015 in NYC Rycroft pictured at a Dancing with the Stars party on April 21, 2015 in LAShe was also charged with driving with a prior conviction or suspension without financial responsibility, which carries a $500 bond; and collision involving damage to a vehicle of at least $200, which carries a $1,000 bond, records indicated.This past August, Rycroft had entered a guilty plea to a September 23, 2025 arrest in connection with driving while intoxicated. When comforted by a follower in a message in October of 2025, Rycroft wrote, ‘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.’ With the August 2026 plea deal, Rycroft avoided a potential 280-day jail sentence, and was ordered to pay fines of $2,087 and remain on probation for 20 months.Under the terms of her plea deal, according to records reviewed by US Weekly, Rycroft had also agreed to finish 36 hours of community service and take a course on DWI education.She was ordered by the court to not ‘consume or possess any alcoholic beverages,’ and ‘abstain from illegal use, possession, or sale of controlled substances, marijuana or cannabinoids,’ according to the records.Rycroft also agreed to pay for ‘non-dilute urine samples for testing for controlled substances and cannabis as directed by the court’ and drive with a ‘camera equipped ignition interlock device,’ according to the records. Rycroft rose to prominence when appearing on season 13 of The Bachelor in 2009In the wake of her September 2025 arrest, her lawyer Bret Martin released a statement to Entertainment Weekly that read, ‘I want to remind the public of the fundamental principle of our justice system… every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty.’We, as a society, have gotten completely away from this fundamental concept. My client was arrested on the allegation of driving while intoxicated. An arrest is no indication of guilt.’Rycroft rose to prominence when appearing on season 13 of The Bachelor in 2009, getting engaged to Jason Mesnick, though the pair split up shortly afterwards.She subsequently rekindled a relationship with Tye Strickland and the pair wed in December of 2009.The pair are parents to three children: Ava Grace, 15, Beckett Thomas, 12, and Cayson Jack, 10.She also appeared on Dancing with the Stars’ eighth season in 2009 and the show’s All-Stars edition in 2012.
Bachelor star Melissa Rycroft breaks silence on DWI arrest as she reveals hidden mental health battle: ‘I am very ashamed’
Melissa Rycroft on Tuesday cited mental health struggles in her first public comments following her driving while intoxicated arrest Sunday in Texas, linked to a hit-and-run on an ambulance.’First, please know how deeply ashamed and embarrassed I am, especially knowing how much this has affected my friends and family,’ the reality star, 43, said. ‘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.’Rycroft was arrested months after she entered a guilty plea to driving while intoxicated this past August in connection with a September 2025 incident, in which she received 20 months of probation.Southlake Police told The Daily Mail in a statement that officers responded to reports of a hit-and-run collision involving a driver who struck an ambulance that was stopped at a stop sign at around 5:50 p.m. Saturday.The Daily Mail has reached out to Rycroft’s attorney for further comment on the story. The Bachelor alum Melissa Rycroft, 43, cited mental health struggles in her first public comments following her driving while intoxicated arrest Sunday in Texas, linked to a hit-and-run on an ambulance. Pictured in her mugshot The Dallas-born TV personality, who has been seen on The Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars, said she has been ‘completely overwhelmed’ amid the tough times, doing her best to conceal her state of mind to her loved ones.’I’ve tried to hide what I’ve been going through by putting on a smile,’ Rycroft said, ‘but behind the scenes, things have been much harder than anyone realized or that I have let on, even to my family.’Rycroft said she’s not making ‘excuses’ for the conduct, but rather ‘finally admitting that’ she’s in need of, and getting, ‘professional care.’She added, ‘I have fought this for a long time on my own and it’s time to admit that I can’t do it anymore.’Rycroft said that the admission was ‘hard to say and the shame is still very much there,’ but she feels the time has come to make a change.’I’m ready to feel like myself again, for me and for my family,’ Rycroft said. ‘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.’Rycroft ended her statement in asking for ‘grace’ as she focuses ‘on trying to get healthy,’ adding, ‘Please respect my family’s privacy as they navigate this with me too.’ No injuries were reported, authorities said, adding that officers subsequently located the driver of the hit-and-run vehicle, who was identified as Rycroft. She was subsequently transported to the Keller Regional Detention Facility for processing.Rycroft, a one-time Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, was taken into custody by the Southlake Police Department in connection with second-degree driving while intoxicated, which has a $7,500 bond, according to records. The reality star posted her first statement in the wake of her second DUI in two years Rycroft pictured in a mug shot following a September 23, 2025 DWI arrest Rycroft pictured at an event in February of 2015 in NYC Rycroft pictured at a Dancing with the Stars party on April 21, 2015 in LAShe was also charged with driving with a prior conviction or suspension without financial responsibility, which carries a $500 bond; and collision involving damage to a vehicle of at least $200, which carries a $1,000 bond, records indicated.This past August, Rycroft had entered a guilty plea to a September 23, 2025 arrest in connection with driving while intoxicated. When comforted by a follower in a message in October of 2025, Rycroft wrote, ‘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.’ With the August 2026 plea deal, Rycroft avoided a potential 280-day jail sentence, and was ordered to pay fines of $2,087 and remain on probation for 20 months.Under the terms of her plea deal, according to records reviewed by US Weekly, Rycroft had also agreed to finish 36 hours of community service and take a course on DWI education.She was ordered by the court to not ‘consume or possess any alcoholic beverages,’ and ‘abstain from illegal use, possession, or sale of controlled substances, marijuana or cannabinoids,’ according to the records.Rycroft also agreed to pay for ‘non-dilute urine samples for testing for controlled substances and cannabis as directed by the court’ and drive with a ‘camera equipped ignition interlock device,’ according to the records. Rycroft rose to prominence when appearing on season 13 of The Bachelor in 2009In the wake of her September 2025 arrest, her lawyer Bret Martin released a statement to Entertainment Weekly that read, ‘I want to remind the public of the fundamental principle of our justice system… every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty.’We, as a society, have gotten completely away from this fundamental concept. My client was arrested on the allegation of driving while intoxicated. An arrest is no indication of guilt.’Rycroft rose to prominence when appearing on season 13 of The Bachelor in 2009, getting engaged to Jason Mesnick, though the pair split up shortly afterwards.She subsequently rekindled a relationship with Tye Strickland and the pair wed in December of 2009.The pair are parents to three children: Ava Grace, 15, Beckett Thomas, 12, and Cayson Jack, 10.She also appeared on Dancing with the Stars’ eighth season in 2009 and the show’s All-Stars edition in 2012.