'Saved By The Bell' Lark Voorhies Discusses Mental Health Disorder

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Saved By The Bell aired from 1989 to 1993, and followed a group of high school friends and their principal. It was lighthearted and comedic, though it did occasionally touch on serious social issues, some of those were: drug use, driving while under the influence, homelessness, remarriage, death, women's rights and other various issues.

The series stars were Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, Lark Voorhies, Dennis Haskins, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez. Fans were in awe of Zach and Kelly's (played by Tiffani Thiessen) high school love affair, fawned over AC Slater's abs, and Lisa Turtle who was played by Lark Voorhies, was every teen boy's dream girl.

Voorhies continued to act after Saved By The Bell went off the air, but she lated made headlines unrelated to her acting career. Tabloids printed about her assumed erratic behavior, and she was likened to the rest of the Hollywood starlets, caught up in substance abuse. With a reboot coming up, fans were curious of whether Voorhies would return to the show.

Voorhies's family revealed she was battling bipolar disorder, and the teen hearthrob is ready to talk about it, and she's doing so on her terms.

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Lark Voorhies was born in Nashville, Tennesse, and has been in show business since she was two years old! She moved to California and signed to a talent agency, and made her debut as an actor. She was not too comfortable in front of cameras, but she was photogenic, so the agency focused on a career as a model. When she was 14, she decided to try acting one more time.

In 1988, she appeared in an episode of Small Wonder, and that same year she landed a role in the Disney sitcome, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, as Lisa Turtle. Disney dropped this series after it's first season, and it was later picked up by NBC and rebranded as Saved By The Bell, and Voorhies continued with the role of Lisa Turtle.

While she's most known for Saved By The Bell, Voorhies has had a string of guest-appearances in many roles throughout the 90s, ranging from Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and The Bold and the Beautiful.

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In the 2000s, her acting career slowed down. Upon resurfacing, fans noticed a difference in her appearance and behavior. Many speculated she was fighting substance abuse, but... it turns out, she's actually been battling a mental disorder.

Voorhies's mother interviewed with PEOPLE in 2012, and revealed that her daughter had bipolar disorder. Mama Voorhies told the publication that she believed her daughter's health declined in 2001, when Lark Voorhies divorced Miguel Coleman, an actor-producer.

Voorhies behavior was erratic, from a Las Vegas wedding in 2015 to a known gang member, and Voorhies mother spoke against the union, claiming her new son-in-law was taking advantage of her daughter's mental health. Voorhies defended her husband against her mother's claims in an on-camera interview with Entertainment Tonight.

She appeared on Dr. Oz, after six months on marriage, and battle for divorce ensued. After surviving this difficult time, among many others, Voorhies has decided to open about her suspected mental disorder.

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“I want thank everybody who has been so supportive throughout my journey these last several years. It was very hard to find the right way to talk about some of the challenges that I go through on a daily basis,” she began in her statement. “Please tune in this Wednesday to the Dr Oz show to learn about living with a mental disorder that many people do not understand.”

The episode airs tomorrow, Feb. 19., and hopefully will shed some light on her past actions, and how she's handling her disorder.