Brittany Cartwright has broken her silence after filing for divorce from her husband Jax Taylor, revealing the ‘motivation’ behind the move.
The 35-year-old submitted divorce papers on Tuesday, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the reason behind her decision to pull the plug on her five-year marriage to Jax, 45, just months after they separated.
Both Jax and Brittany are still starring on the Bravo reality show The Valley, where their marriage will be seen crumbling on camera.
But now Brittany has offered an inside look into the frame of mind she had while taking the decision to finally leave her ‘toxic relationship.’
She made her feelings clear on the latest episode of her podcast When Reality Hits, which she co-hosts with her estranged husband.
Right at the start of the episode, she directed her attention to the ‘elephant in the room’ and explained that she was dissolving her marriage to Jax, with whom she shares her three-year-old son Cruz.
‘I unfortunately can’t speak on details because everything has been heavily documented on the show, since we happen to be filming right now. You will see how everything plays out once the show airs,’ she said.
‘But I will say this: this season has been the most difficult season I have ever had to film. I never imagined I’d go through something so personal and painful while having the world watch,’ Brittany added, her voice cracking with emotion.
‘I’m not saying this for anyone to feel badly, because I know that this is the life I chose and I’m so fortunate in many ways. But I will always want to be real with y’all. Many have said online they think this has been a publicity stunt for the show, or to garner ratings and it’s the furthest thing from that,’ she insisted.
‘My decision to file wasn’t made lightly or quickly. It’s taken me many, many years to get to this point, where I’ve gained enough courage and strength to do what was best for me, get myself out of a toxic relationship and ultimately see my worth.’
She confessed: ‘It’s been very difficult, but I’m stronger than ever, and my motivation is my son, my Cruzie, who deserves a happy and healthy mommy.’
Her remarks come after claims she was left with no other option but to file for divorce from after witnessing his obvious lack of respect for her while watching their relationship play out on their reality TV show The Valley.
The pair had no sex life and their relationship had descended into ‘bitter fights,’ sparking concerns that tensions between them were affecting their three-year-old son Cruz.
‘Doing The Valley with Jax really helped her cement her decision to leave him,’ an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively.
‘On Vanderpump Rules, Brittany dealt with so much from him, but she would re-watch the footage and see a love story.
‘But after watching footage from The Valley, she was truly able to see how much their dynamic had changed and how he no longer respected her.
‘They were not having sex and ultimately the marriage became a bitter fight.’
They continued: ‘To make matters worse their son Cruz is at the age where he started to get affected by their fighting.
‘She did leave him in January and everyone at the time thought it was a PR stunt. Doing season two of The Valley was hard for her.’
Brittany served divorce papers to Jax while filming the second season of The Valley. She cited their date of separation as January 24,
‘She is no rookie at this game and, while she did this in her own best interest, she wants this show to have the best ratings possible,’ the insider continued.
‘Fans will get to see the disintegration of what was left of their marriage on season two.’
Brittany is seeking full custody of their son and does not expect Jax to fight her for more than just visitation rights.
She is seeking to block the ability of the court to award either one of them with spousal support.
‘Cruz is a momma’s boy,’ the source added. ‘He moved with her when she moved out of her place with Jax.
‘Brittany is seeking full custody.
‘Giving him joint custody is not an option at this time and she does not expect him to fight her at all on it.
‘Jax will have access to their son she will never ever deny him this. She is not, and will not, budge on the custody request. Cruz will remain with her.’
Brittany and Jax started dating in 2015, two years before he admitted to infidelity.
But they stayed together and got engaged in 2018. They married at the Kentucky Castle in the Brittany’s home state in June 2019 and welcomed Cruz in 2021.
Their lavish wedding aired on Vanderpump Rules – and their divorce will play out on spin-off show The Valley.
The dramatic series follows the pair, as well as Kristen Doute and other members of their friendship group, as they navigate married life and parenthood in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley.
In February, Brittany announced they had split on their joint podcast, When Reality Hits.
‘Jax and I are taking time apart and I made the decision to move into another home to take some space for the sake of my mental health,’ she said.
She later hinted that the ‘split’ could be temporary, as she asked fans to ‘pray for us,’ and added that she believed ‘everything will be just fine.’
In an interview with DailyMail.com she explained how the birth of Cruz made her reevaluate her marriage to the controversial Vanderpump Rules villain.
‘So for me, it was just kind of like taking up for myself. Having a child really woke me up and lifted a veil a little bit of what I deserve and what I am going to put up with for the rest of my life,’ she said.
‘And I just knew that I had to… figure out what I want to do for my future and make things a super positive living situation for my son. That’s all that I care about.’
Brittany also shared in April that her ‘sexless marriage’ with Jax made her hit her ‘breaking point’ and admitted they’ve discussed dating other people amid separation, saying ‘I don’t want to be unhappy for the rest of my life.’
In the wake of her shock divorce filing, Brittany shared a glamorous photo on social media showing that she is moving on from her marriage.
Taking to Instagram, the star wore hot pink and a full face of glamorous make-up, and captioned the upload: ‘Getting my sparkle back.’
She also appeared to celebrate her impending divorce by getting alcohol delivered to the Los Angeles Airbnb she has been living in.
Missing from her left hand was her wedding ring, which she has not worn publicly since June.
Meanwhile, Jax was seen enjoying a meal alone at Craig’s in Hollywood, just hours after he was served divorce papers.