Melissa Rycroft is speaking out about her mental health after being arrested on suspicion of DWI for a second time in just over a year.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
"First, please know how deeply ashamed and embarrassed I am, especially knowing how much this has affected my friends and family," Melissa began in her written statement.
"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."
Melissa admitted her mental-health battle has actually "completely overwhelmed" her.
"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," Melissa continued.
"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."
Melissa confirmed that she's getting "professional care" right away.
"This is so hard to say and the shame is still very much there," she noted, "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."
Melissa pointed out that her family deserves to see her at her "best" and so she's "working toward" that for the sake of everyone she cares about.
"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. Thank you," Melissa concluded.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS!
Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!
Melissa was arrested on suspicion of DWI after allegedly hitting an ambulance and leaving the scene in Texas. Her arrest came two months after she pleaded guilty to a previous DWI charge.
According to a Southlake Police Department press release obtained by People, officers responded at about 5:50PM on Saturday, October 31, to a hit-and-run involving a fire department ambulance. The ambulance was stopped at a stop sign when another vehicle allegedly struck it and left the scene.
Officers later found the other vehicle's driver and identified her as Melissa. She was charged with DWI, second offense, driving with an invalid license and causing an accident involving more than $200 in vehicle damage. No one was injured.
Melissa was booked, once again by Southlake police, into the Keller Jail on November 1. Her bond was set at $9,000, according to jail records obtained by People. TMZ was first to report the arrest.
The new charges follow a separate crash and arrest in September 2025, when Melissa's Cadillac Escalade had struck a tree.
Witnesses had reported seeing the vehicle being driven erratically before the crash, but no other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported.
Melissa admitted on Instagram in October 2025 that her life really sucked at the time, and she added, "I'm struggling, but I'm trying to march forward."
She pleaded guilty to DWI in August 2026 and received 20 months of probation instead of jail time. She was also reportedly ordered to pay $2,000 in fines and court costs, complete 36 hours of community service, take a DWI education course and undergo a substance abuse evaluation.
ADVERTISEMENT
Her probation conditions included abstaining from alcohol and illegal drugs, using a camera-equipped ignition interlock device in her vehicle and submitting to drug and alcohol testing.
On The Bachelor's 13th season in 2009, Jason Mesnick proposed marriage to the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and the pair got engaged.
However, Jason dumped Melissa on The Bachelor: After the Final Rose in favor of his runner-up -- and now wife -- Molly Malaney.
Melissa then quickly entered into a new relationship with her former boyfriend Tye Strickland, whom she had previously dated on and off after meeting three years earlier. The couple subsequently got engaged in June 2009 and wed in December of that year.
After her rejection by Jason, Melissa also accepted an offer to join Dancing with the Stars' Spring 2009 season as a last-minute replacement for injured Access Hollywood co-anchor Nancy O'Dell.
Melissa finished the DWTS competition in third place behind Gilles Marini and eventual champ Shawn Johnson. She later returned for Dancing with the Stars: All Stars in 2012 and won the season.
Melissa and Tye share a daughter Ava, 15, as well as two sons, Beckett, 12, and Cayson, 10.
Melissa and Tye briefly starred on a reality show of their own titled Melissa & Tye on CMT in 2012.
Melissa also held down different jobs over the years, such as an entertainment news correspondent and co-host of ABC's former Bachelor Pad spinoff.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
