Brittany Cartwright is firm in her stance about not getting back together with Jax Taylor — but that wasn’t always the case.
“I’ve had, I’m not gonna lie, I’ve had like a couple of times where I was, like, lonely and was, like, ‘Whoa, what might happen?’” she revealed on the Tuesday, March 18, episode of the “I Do, Part 2” podcast. “But we never got back together and we will never ever get back together.”
Cartwright, 36, noted that there are times “where you feel weak” around your ex following a split, especially in situations like hers — she had been with Taylor, 45, for nearly a decade.
“You miss them and you feel lonely. And that’s happened to me a lot,” she explained. “But I know I’m worth so much more and I can do so much better than what he put me through. That’s a confidence that I never had before.”
Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright’s love story wasn’t exactly a fairy tale leading to their 2024 divorce. Taylor met Cartwright in between seasons 3 and 4 of Vanderpump Rules in the spring of 2015. Fans watched Cartwright move to Los Angeles to be with Taylor during season 4 of the reality series. While she quickly […]
While discussing her decision to end her marriage, Cartwright admitted she “would feel so dumb” going back to Taylor.
“I feel like I’ve gained so much more strength and I’m getting into such a better headspace. I’m so much happier and so much more confident since I’ve left him,” she continued. “If I went back to that, I feel like my peace would be all messed up again.”
Bravo viewers have had a front row seat to Cartwright and Taylor’s ups and downs since they started dating on Vanderpump Rules. After documenting their 2019 nuptials for the show, the pair announced their departure one year later and took a break from reality TV before returning on The Valley.
Shortly before the spinoff premiered in early 2024, Cartwright and Taylor announced they were separating.
“So many of you guys have been asking me about Jax and I and our relationship. I just think it is important to be real and honest with you guys because we have shared so much of our life with you guys,” Cartwright said on a February 2024 episode of the “When Reality Hits” podcast. “I don’t want it to seem like I am lying or anything like that. So I think it is important for me to say this.”
She continued: “With all the speculation online and stories running rampant, I wanted to be transparent with you. Yes, marriages are very hard, and I had a particularly rough year. 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. I won’t get into too many details right now because this is still really hard to talk about.”
Cartwright subsequently filed for divorce after Taylor checked himself into a mental health facility later that year. He recently revealed that he has been battling substance abuse issues for more than two decades.
“I’ve been dealing with this on and off since I was 23 and now I’m 45. There were times where I would stop doing it, but then there were times where I’d go heavy on it,” he said on the “Hot Mic” podcast earlier this month. “This year was probably the hardest year of my life.”
Some couples just need a break every now and then! Click through to see which of your favorites couples — like Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake — couldn’t help splitting and rekindling year after year.
Taylor admitted his addiction “got worse” amid his divorce. “I’ve been doing it for a long time but the addiction got worse during my divorce and during my separation,” he continued. “I literally lost control. I hit rock bottom and I had to go to rehab.”
Cartwright subsequently defended her knowledge of Taylor’s addiction struggles, as well as her attempts to get him help.
“His addiction unfortunately has done irreparable damage to my son and I,” Cartwright, who shares 3-year-old son Cruz with Taylor, wrote via Instagram. “I’ve spent years trying to help him. I wish more than anyone I could say how proud I am of him today but I’d be lying. His actions will speak for themselves.”.
Cartwright also addressed criticism of her staying with Taylor. “And to those asking why I stayed if I knew he had a problem all these years,” she concluded. “You can’t help who you fell in love with. I’ve done absolutely everything in my power to get him the help he desperately needed. Unfortunately, I was naive and believed his empty promises and his pleas to change for years.”
