Hannah Ferrier Recalls Hiding Anxiety While Filming ‘Below Deck Med’: I Lost ’22 Lbs in 6 Weeks’

Hannah Ferrier candidly discussed the toll that filming season 1 of Below Deck Mediterranean took on her body.

"Filming season 1 of Below Deck Med — I was so embarrassed at the time to admit I was struggling with anxiety that I ended up losing 22 pounds in 6 weeks during filming," the reality star, 37, wrote via Instagram Stories on Sunday, December 3, alongside a photo of herself from her days on the hit Bravo series.

Hannah recalled going to great lengths to prevent production from capturing her mental health struggles, adding, "I would actually hide in the bathroom while covering my microphone and having panic attacks. I'm glad we have moved on as a society and can now talk openly about mental illness."

Shortly after sharing her experience, Hannah received an outpouring of support from viewers. She uploaded several messages from followers who praised her for normalizing conversations about anxiety and inspiring them to speak out as well.

Former ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ Stars: Where Are They Now?

Below Deck Med became a hit in part because of Hannah's presence. The spinoff, which debuted in 2016, featured Below Deck alum Ben Robinson, but it was Hannah who remained the face of the series over the years.

After cameras captured Hannah experiencing a panic attack in season 3, the chief stew opened up about what led to the breakdown.

"The anxiety had been going quite badly for eight days leading up to the attack. It didn’t just come out of nowhere," she told Decider in August 2018. "What I was doing at the time [was asking], 'What is different from season 1 to now?' And all I could think was [my then-romance with bosun] Conrad [Empson]. Looking back and watching the season now, actually there was a lot that was different."

Hannah clarified that her personal life wasn't the main factor behind her panic attack.

"We had the most vile charter guests that we have ever had. The first two weeks I was doing four hours of sleep a night consecutively,” she recalled. “[Captain] Sandy [Yawn] was really quite hard on me throughout the start of the season. Also, you don’t get away. You can’t get away from the cameras, you can’t get away from the work environment, the charter guests just keep coming. In a normal job you can go home and sit down with your partner or your girlfriend and have a glass of wine and unleash and talk about it. Even when we are speaking with our families we don’t have much time. Everything just goes into your head as opposed to coming out, which is what you do in a normal scenario."

The TV personality went on to thank viewers for their compassionate response.

Stars Who’ve Battled Mental Health Issues

"A lot of people reached out and said, 'I didn’t know that anyone else got the physical symptoms that I got.' Because people don’t talk about it. There are obviously a lot of people in the world that feel really alone in terms of getting that sort of anxiety," she continued. "People who don’t suffer anxiety or aren’t close to somebody [who does] get stress and anxiety confused, and they are two very different things. So, I think it was good to see people’s response that they felt less alone."

While filming season 5 of Below Deck Med, Hannah started to hyperventilate after her coworker Hindrigo "Kiko" Lorran was fired. The concerning moment sparked a chain of events that ultimately led to Hannah's exit. At the time, Hannah told her roommate Malia White that she needed a Valium to calm down, which the bosun reported to Sandy, 58.

Hannah later questioned Sandy's decision to fire her for having Valium and a CBD vape pen in her cabin.

"I sometimes feel with her ... that she's not honest with herself. Like she says like, 'Oh, it wasn't personal,' like,​​ the firing. I was like, 'It's kind of funny because Kat [Held] had prescription meds that Captain Lee [Rosbach] had found out about and she didn't get fired,'" Hannah exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2021. "There wasn't a need to fire me for that. It was a hundred percent personal, but I guess whatever helps you sleep at night."

Below Deck Mediterranean’s Biggest Drama Through the Years: Mila’s Nachos, Hannah’s Drugs and More 

Sandy, meanwhile, defended her decision to fire Hannah. "When the trust level is broken for me as a captain, I'm not taking anybody to sea," she shared with Us in September 2021. "People [tried] to take my license over the years, really, because of things that happen [with the] crew."

Sandy has since made it clear that she would be interested in mending fences with her former costar, explaining to Us in July 2022, “Hannah doesn't want any part of me. I feel I'm happy for her in everything that she's doing. Honestly — I've never had a feeling of hate. It doesn't live in my heart. I wish her well, and for some reason she blames me, but you know what? I'm sorry. I'm not gonna risk my career for anybody. I wish her well.”

Earlier this year, Sandy surprised Below Deck fans when she said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that she was willing to work with Hannah again. Hannah, for her part, addressed the October comment by jokingly sharing a poll asking her followers whether she should consider a return to the show — and the results were a resounding yes.