PTSD From A Sexual Assault Prompted This Big Brother Contestant To Leave Early

After experiencing a difficult time on set, Big Brother contestant Megan Lowder chose to leave the show after two episodes. In an interview with The Desert Sun, the California-native explained that she left due to experiencing increased symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from a past event during her time in the Navy.

“When I was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, I was sexually assaulted and I got really bad PTSD from it,” she explained in the interview. “So in the house… I had a lot of guys yelling at me and attacking me and it started really affecting me and making my anxiety severe and I was starting to get physically ill,” she continued. “I was throwing up, I had diarrhea, I was nauseous all the time.”

For those unfamiliar with the show, Big Brother follows a group of contestants, HouseGuests, living together under constant surveillance in a custom-built home. Like many reality, game shows there are contests and eliminations every week to determine the winner. During their time on the show, contestants are completely isolated from the outside world.

Though Lowder did not announce her absence from the show until Friday night, live feed watchers of Big Brother, now in its 19th season, noticed Thursday night that she had left. Lowder did appear in the two-day premiere on Wednesday and Thursday. The pre-recorded, televised show which includes Lowder leaving the show will air on Sunday.

Now reportedly back at home in Cathedral City, CA with her family, Megan Lowder took to Twitter to apologize and to thank her fans for their support.

“I was expecting to have one of the funnest summers of my life,” she shared with The Desert Sun. “I did have fun. I had a great time, until all that just got the best of me.”