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It started with a straightforward fan question: “Were you naturally that small and petite before having kids?” But Instagram model Ruby Tuesday Matthews’ response unearthed something much deeper.
During the Q&A session on her Instagram stories this week, the Byron Bay woman spoke openly about her struggles with cocaine addiction – a dangerous vice, she claims, that many of her colleagues lean on.
“I’ve got to be careful what I’m saying here, but… Modelling industry, and now the influencer industry, everyone loves the baggies,” she said. “But that is how most physiques are maintained, that’s how exactly my physique was maintained.”
The 25-year-old attributed her own slight, pre-pregnancy frame to a dangerously unhealthy lifestyle that centred around the drug.
“Basically I just smoked cigarettes, had long blacks, and did coke. And in between, [ate] tapas. My life was tapas and cocaine,” she told her 193,000 followers.
“A lot of people never understood how I could eat and still be so thin, but I guess it’s pretty easy to hide an addiction. People don’t realise how easy it is to hide something, whether it’s addiction, depression, anxiety, it’s pretty easy to hide those little things.”
Cocaine is a highly addictive narcotic that’s said to have appetite suppressing properties. A 2013 research by Cambridge University indicated that it may even change the way the body processes fat. The associated risks, though, are severe: with long-term use comes an elevated risk of heart attack, stroke and breathing problems, as well as possible kidney damage and psychosis.
For a time, Matthews’ addiction was more powerful than the thought of any damage she was doing to her body. Ultimately, it was falling pregnant with her first child, now three, that encouraged her to quit. The positive pregnancy test came just three days after she’d taken cocaine at a party.
“I was so thin and I was partying a lot and no one thought I would be able to fall pregnant,” she said.
“Obviously, I was pretty worried, I was like holy sh*t, I’ve had a huge night and I partied, and I’m pregnant..is my baby going to be okay?” she said. “Both the doctor and the obstetrician reassured me that everything was fine.”
Now a mother of two, Matthews said she intends to be more open about her struggles in the hope that it will resonate with others.
“I have battled with mental health demons on and off for most of my life. It is a topic I am going to be talking about a lot more this year,” she said.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Narcotics Anonymous: 1300 652 820
Top Comments
Everyone does coke in London, always have. Now it's everywhere in Sydney. A friend went into the toilet at her son's school at a PTO meeting and found the mothers openly doing coke.
I'm glad she's talking about it. How many teenage girls sit there scrolling through IG depressed as hell because of these "perfect" influences and have no idea of what goes on behind the scenes, in real life.