Brittany Cartwright Admits She 'Really Thought' She'd Get Back Together With Jax Taylor Prior to Shocking Divorce

Brittany Cartwright didn’t get the fairytale ending she hoped for.

On Wednesday, September 18, Cartwright opened up about the demise of her marriage to estranged husband Jax Taylor.

“It has been such a roller-coaster deciding to separate. I really thought that we would be able to get back to a place where we could probably get back together,” explained The Valley star, 35, who separated from Taylor in February. “I didn’t know for sure, but I really wanted to try everything I possibly could to save my marriage and keep my family together.”

The former lovebirds began dating in 2015 and tied the knot in 2019, going on to welcome their 3-year-old son, Cruz, in 2021. Cartwright filed for divorce from Taylor in August, listing their date of separation as January 24.

“It’s just been a roller-coaster of emotions; a lot of ups [and] a lot of downs, but I also feel like I’ve gotten so much stronger throughout all of this,” Cartwright spilled. “I’m really feeling confident in my decision, and I think that a lot of people are going to be able to relate to everything I’m going through.”

The mother-of-one — who also starred alongside Taylor on Vanderpump Rules — confessed: “I did not expect this for myself. I never thought that I would be divorcing him. I always thought we would be together forever. But again, I do feel very confident in my decision and it was not a quick decision for me.”

The Kentucky native also reflected on how her relationship with Taylor completely changed her life.

“My whole life on TV or in L.A. has been with him,” she shared. “So it’s a whole new journey for me, even filming-wise and living in L.A. … and being a single mom, it’s all going to be brand-new for me. It’s scary.”

While she no longer has Taylor in her life, she has been able to lean on her son, who she said is “thriving.”

“He makes me so happy,” the celeb raved. “I think I’ve just continued to get even closer to him throughout this whole thing. If I’m having a hard day, we will go jump in the pool or I’ll just give him a big hug. He has been my rock through everything. He’s what keeps me motivated and what keeps me on the right track and knowing that I’m making the right decisions.”

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As for co-parenting with her ex, she spilled that it’s been “OK.”

“Jax is a great dad [but] a horrible husband,” she joked. “I’ll never say that he’s a bad dad or anything like that because he’s not. He would be here for me if I called him or for Cruz in a heartbeat. But things are still very raw between me and Jax now … but he’s listening to my wishes. He’s letting me control. He knows that he has to work on things and work on getting trust and stuff from me again."

Us Weekly interviewed Cartwright.