THIS ‘Bridgerton’ Star Has Been ‘Toning Up’ Ahead Of Season 3

One "Bridgerton" star is teasing their full-body transformation ahead of season 3 of the hit Netflix series!

Actress Ruby Barker, who played Mariana Thompson in the series based on the Regency romance novels written by Julia Quinn, shared two side-by-side photos to unveil her weight loss and fitness transformation with her 216 thousand Instagram followers.

Fans can’t wait to see Mariana Thompson back on-screen in season 3. Although the love story between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) will take center stage this season, the series features an ensemble cast that makes it beloved by fans.

At the end of September, Ruby shared two side-by-side photos that featured her physical and mental transformation that she said was a result of the “inner work” that she put into “accepting” who she was while admitting that the change did not happen “overnight.”

“Beautiful bodies - weight loss and toning up has been a byproduct of inner work... Cooking, moving, sleeping, accepting where I am and still getting back up,” she wrote in the caption of her Instagram post. “It’s not been an overnight thing, it took months for me to completely surrender to my lifestyle adaptations with the aim to better my physical, spiritual, and emotional health; small changes quickly became big wins.”

“I would have panic attacks at the thought of stepping foot in a gym, I would pretend I wasn’t out of breath after climbing stairs and run to the bathroom to catch it back, I would starve myself all day, then binge, binge, binge, feel like crap then do it all over again,” she confessed, giving fans some insight into her mental health struggles.

“In the first picture, I was not happy. I felt like I’d lost not only my mind but my will to take care of my inner child and cook for her, clean for her, work for her, get out and live for her,” she added. “With the guidance of @o.fit.uk @muyi.o.fit and my friends, I’m in love with being more active and self-caring than ever before. Health is wealth.”

Many fans thanked her for being transparent with her battle to reclaim her health and improve her relationship with her body and mind as they covered her post with messages like "I'm so proud of you" and more words of support and praise.

Ruby’s honesty about her struggle to accept her body and her relationship with food inspired many other fans to share their stories in the comments of her Instagram post.

One fan commented, “You are such a beautiful young lady inside and out. I’m so glad you are feeling so much better! Many moons ago I went through something similar and was put on Paxil. I was already severely depressed when I went in it and of course, gaining 30 pounds did nothing to alleviate it. I eventually over time was able to lose it and stay on medication for almost 26 years now. It takes time but more than anything it takes learning to love and care for ourselves the way we deserve to. Be well, dear girl.”

Another follower wrote, “I gained so much weight 35kg after being put on ‘mood stabilizers.’ It honestly felt like I’d never shed the weight off but this has just remotivated me!” Ruby replied, “THIS! The same thing happened to me - it is really really hard. Told it's good for our health in some regards, yet jeopardizes it in others! You can do it! It is a catch 22 but you can break the cycle of it, I swear.”

A third fan chimed in, “You're so pretty but I don't even care if you're pretty because you're such a great actress! I wish for our entire society to heal from the harm they've done to us. Every time we feel insecure we should ask: who is profiting from me feeling this way? You are perfect any which way you are. You have a 1 in 400 trillion chance of being born a human on this planet in this slice of time. You are a gem.”

Netflix has yet to schedule a release date for season 3 of “Bridgerton.”