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Credit: Instagram

Ashlee Holmes is back on social media after a weeks-long hiatus.

In a lengthy post to her fans and followers, the 34-year-old Real Housewives of New Jersey alum, who confirmed her bipolar diagnosis in June 2022, admitted to experiencing physical and mental health struggles that led her to draw back from her online presence.

“Hi. It’s Ashlee. The good news? Family is great. Career is great. The ‘bad’ news? Due to some health issues that I’m still navigating, in addition to some personal stressors, I have gained roughly 40lbs since December — and even more over the last year,” Ashlee began in her June 23 post on Instagram.

“It’s caused me to hide myself from all of you in so many ways, it’s made me pretty reclusive, and although my mental health has been in a good space overall — I’ve been battling some mild depression because of it,” she continued.

According to Ashlee, she’s been leaning on her faith, family, and friends, as well as certain influencers who have taught her to love her body “in every stage.” Still, as she admitted, it was daunting to return to a land filled with criticism.

“I finally feel a level of safety and confidence for me to return to social media the way I used to be able to show up for you guys without fear of criticism from the keyboard warriors out there. Trolls are always gonna troll. I’m so grateful for those of you who have continued to follow me over the years. I’m back,” she shared. “So… this is where I’m at in my body right now. It may seem like nothing to a lot of you, but it matters to me. I’m taking all of the steps to get healthy from the inside out. Come along for the ride. I’ll share more along the way.”

Along with her post, Ashlee hinted at the physical health matters she was dealing with in a series of hashtags, which signaled an autoimmune disorder, thyroid health, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which is a hormonal disorder known to lead to weight gain.

Following the sharing of the post, Ashlee’s mom, Jacqueline Laurita, 55, weighed in, sending her daughter love, along with several other commenters who applauded the former reality star.

As RHONJ fans may know, Ashlee has one son, Camden, whom she welcomed with Pete Malleo in August 2016. The couple got married in August 2018. Then, two years later, Ashlee confirmed she and Pete had separated.

Jacqueline, Ashlee, and their family were featured on the first five seasons of The Real Housewives of New Jersey and briefly returned to the series for season seven.