Australian model Sahara Ray, once linked to pop star Justin Bieber, has entered hospital following a mental health episode that led to a string of disturbing social media posts falsely accusing her fiancé of abuse.
“I want to thank everyone for their concern and for reaching out over the past week. I want to set the record straight,” the 31-year-old wrote in a public apology, confirming she is currently hospitalized and undergoing treatment.
“I posted things about my fiancé that weren’t true and were deeply hurtful to him,” she continued, referencing now deleted posts accusing her fiancé, Mike Dow, of physical and financial abuse.
Despite renouncing her claims, her fans are divided, with one side believing her words to be the result of the psychological episode, and others thinking she’s trying to protect Dow’s reputation.
Model Sahara Ray, rumored to have dated Justin Bieber in 2016, has been admitted to a hospital after a mental health episode
“I’m so sorry for the hurt and confusion I caused—none of it ever actually happened,” the model said, her words falling on deaf ears.
“Pretty sure it did happen. She’s just trying to protect him now,” one user wrote. “Don’t do drugs kids.”
Ray’s earlier posts included graphic images of what she claimed were injuries she suffered, including bloodied sheets, broken nails, and a deep cut on the model’s knee.
“Somebody is trying to k**l me. Please help me,” she wrote at the time.
These posts were met with alarm by followers and friends, many of whom responded publicly expressing concern for her wellbeing, and calling for the immediate arrest of her fiancé.
The model then followed-up with a series of strange allegations, which some fans took as a sign that she was having a mental breakdown.
“I’m stuck on my farm in Hawaii and they poisoned me by putting puffer fish poisoning in my shoe. I’m alone and need help,” Ray wrote, before claiming that she couldn’t go to the police because they were “all brainwashed and working for the same person.”
Fans of the model were already suspicious of her deteriorating mental state, as she had posted strange messages in the past
The model kept posting bizarre allegations to her social media, with fans going from suspicious to fully convinced of her deteriorating mental health as her posts veered into the paranormal.
“A spirit has been taking over my body for a year now and is trying to eat me. This is not a joke, they are going to make me disappear. HELP,’ she wrote.
“This is real. This is happening to people all over the world. They are eating bodies and taking souls. Wake up,” she added.
Sahara Ray, who was briefly rumored to have a fling with Justin Bieber in 2016, was sent to rehab for dr*g and alcohol abuse in December 2021. The program was largely unsuccessful, as she reportedly soon started using illegal substances.
For instance, in 2023, her OF followers noticed a canister of nitrous oxide sitting on a table in the background of one of her racy photos. When used as a dr*g, the compound has been known to cause a state of euphoria in users, which is why it’s known as the “laughing gas.”
Ray would allude to its consumption in a follow-up post, in which she told her followers to “never do whippit (another nickname for nitrous oxide),” because the “spirit is inside them.”
Fans lamented the incident, and called for the model to receive the help she needs
The model emphasized that she is now focused on healing and ensuring such an incident does not occur again. “To my fiancé, I am truly sorry. And to everyone who saw those posts—thank you for giving me the chance to explain and make this right.”
“When I made those posts, I was experiencing an episode that warped my perception of reality and led me to believe things that weren’t real,” Ray explained.
“During my episode, I truly believed things had happened that didn’t—and it all felt very real. I was hospitalized and quickly realized that they didn’t happen. That’s not an excuse, just the truth.”
Ray was a relatively unknown figure before her rumored, short-lived relationship with Justin Bieber. She’s the daughter of Australian surfing legend Tony Ray.
Besides her work as a OF model, she has kept a relatively low profile. Not much is known about her fiancé, Mike Dow, other than he tattooed Sahara’s name into his arm at some point.
“I genuinely feel for her… She’s a hollow shell of a person. Her smiles are empty. Her whole life is a façade,” one fan wrote on social media.
“You can tell she is so broken and wants love so badly. She uses her looks to attract men, but is there genuine compatibility there? I feel bad for her.”
“Confused.” The incident baffled the model’s fans, who were unsure what to believe
