Little People’s Isabel Roloff admits she’s ‘not okay’ and coping with depression after brother and mom’s tragic deaths
LITTLE People, Big World star Jacob Roloff’s wife Isabel admitted she is “not okay” after suffering from depression following the deaths of her brother and mother.
On Thursday, Isabel, 22, posted a photo hugging her late older brother.
She started off the emotional caption by revealing she is “good at pretending” she is okay.
Isabel wrote: “Currently, I am not. And only a few people in my life right now know how deeply I am not. Pretending became easier than showing others how broken I was when my brother passed away eight years ago and everyone else around me, understandably, fell apart.
“The light of our lives was ripped from us, and we all lost ourselves one by one. But I pretended not to. I held it together. I didn’t see a choice. I made big decisions for the family, I answered the door every time, I went to school. I pretended.”
Isabel explained how she continues to pretend to this day, as she smiles, nods and says she’s “okay” without thinking.
She continued: “No longer can I pretend that losing my brother and then my mom within a year of each other has not effected my mental health greatly.
“Now, I am paying for it in a major way. My anxiety keeps me from trusting anyone, or living much of a normal life. My depression keeps me from seeing that I deserve joy, and peace. It always feels so far out of reach.”
She ended the caption with: “I have finally made the steps to see a therapist, after all this time, to let down those walls and finally admit to somebody, ‘I am not okay.’
“A lot of people see me as strong. And maybe I am to some degree. But I’m also just really good at pretending. And I don’t want to be anymore.”
Her husband Jacob commented on the heartfelt post: “I love you and long live Toe!”
It is unclear how Isabel’s brother passed.
Her mother died in 2014 after a battle with breast cancer.
Isabel honored her late mother and brother at her September 2019 wedding to Jacob, 23, which took place on Roloff Farms in Oregon.
She wrote on Instagram: “Many people asked me if I was sad that both my mother and brother couldn’t be there with us on our day, but the thing is, I know they were there.
“If there is one thing I know about loss and death it is that it is not the end. I have held strong to the faith that I will see my loved ones again. People can’t understand that, and I was always questioned when I said it.
“While it doesn’t make sense here earth side, one day it will make perfect sense and I know that day will come.”
In April, Isabel paid tribute to her beloved mother again, as she shared more details of how she honored her at their wedding.
She wrote: “At our wedding reception, we sat a picture of her in a rocking chair, along with some stargazer lilies.
“When I have a home, I can adorn it with stargazer lillies, and I will remember the smell, and their striking beauty, and I will be reminded of my mama.”
Jacob’s mom Amy, who divorced from his father Matt in 2016, revealed the two are looking for a home in Bend, Oregon on a recent Facebook Live.
Jacob reunited with Matt and his girlfriend Caryn over the weekend.
As Little People, Big World fans know, Jacob has been at odds with his father over their conflicting political views.
Jacob and Isabel have also ben feuding with his brother Jeremy and his wife Audrey.
Why isn’t Jacob Roloff on Little People, Big World anymore?
Jacob hasn’t appeared on Little People, Big World for a number of years, and likely won’t return.
Back in 2016, the 23-year-old slammed the show for stirring up family drama for television storylines, writing that the family is nothing like the show portrays.
He wrote: “I get comments on here all the time about how people ‘miss me on the show’ or telling me I should ‘do a few more episodes’ with the family; I’m posting this to say that that will never happen.”
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Jacob unfollowed Audrey after she reposted her brother’s video about unity amid the George Floyd protests to her Instagram Stories.
Jacob – who has showed his support for Black Lives Matter by attending multiple protests with Isabel – called the video “police propaganda” and said it was “not activism.”
Jacob also appeared to slam Jeremy and Audrey’s apparent support for Trump this month.
He tweeted on June 1: “I, too, am embarrassed to be related to Trump voters.”