Brittany Cartwright breaks silence after Jax Taylor divorce filing and reveals ‘motivation’ behind split

Brittany Cartwright has broken her silence after filing for divorce from husband Jax Taylor, revealing the ‘motivation’ behind the move.

The 35-year-old filed for divorce on Tuesday, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for her decision to end her five-year marriage to Jax, 45, just months after they split.

Jax and Brittany both still star on Bravo’s reality show The Valley, where camera footage shows their marriage falling apart.

But now Brittany has given an insight into the state of mind she was in when she decided to end her “toxic relationship” for good.

She made her feelings clear in the latest episode of her podcast When Reality Hits, which she hosts with her estranged husband.

Right at the beginning of the episode, she addresses the “elephant in the room” and explains that she is ending her marriage to Jax, with whom she shares their three-year-old son, Cruz.

“I can’t go into detail unfortunately because everything is documented extensively on the show, as we happen to be filming right now. You’ll see how it all plays out once the show airs,” she said.

“But I will say this: This season has been the hardest season I’ve ever had to film. I never thought I’d be going through something so personal and painful with the world watching,” Brittany added, her voice cracking with emotion.

“I’m not saying this to make anyone feel bad because I know this is the life I’ve chosen and I’m so happy in so many ways. But I always want to be honest with you guys. Many people online have said they think this is a publicity stunt for the show or to get ratings, but it’s the furthest thing from it,” she insisted.

“My decision to report was not taken lightly or hastily. It has taken me many, many years to get to this point where I have gathered enough courage and strength to do what was best for me, remove myself from a toxic relationship, and finally 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 mother.’

Her comments follow claims she was left with no choice but to file for divorce after witnessing his disrespect towards her on the reality show The Valley which explored their relationship.

The couple had no sex life and their relationship had degenerated into “bitter arguments”, raising concerns that the tensions between them were affecting their three-year-old son Cruz.

“The Valley with Jax really helped her confirm her decision to leave him,” an insider exclusively told DailyMail.com.

‘On Vanderpump Rules, Brittany had to deal with a lot of him, but when she rewatches the footage, she sees a love story.

‘But after watching the footage from The Valley, she really saw how much their dynamic had changed and how he no longer respected her.

‘They didn’t have sex and eventually the marriage became a bitter struggle.’

They continued: ‘To make matters worse, their son Cruz is at the age where he started to be affected by their fighting.

“She left him in January and everyone thought it was a PR stunt. It was tough for her to do season two of The Valley.”

Brittany filed for divorce from Jax during the filming of the second season of The Valley. She listed their separation date as January 24th,

“She is not new to this game and while she is doing this in her own best interest, she wants this show to get the highest ratings possible,” the insider continued.

‘Fans will see their marriage fall apart in the second season.’

Brittany is demanding full custody of their son and doesn’t expect Jax to fight her for anything more than visitation rights.

She wants to prevent the court from awarding spousal support to either of them.

“Cruz is a mama’s boy,” the source added. “He moved in with her when she moved out of her house with Jax.

Brittany is asking for full custody.

‘Giving him joint custody is not an option at this time and she does not expect him to object to this.

“Jax will have access to their son, she will never, ever deny him that. She has not, and will not, grant the request for custody. Cruz will remain with her.”

Brittany and Jax started dating in 2015, two years before he confessed to his infidelity.

But they stayed together and got engaged in 2018. They married in June 2019 at Kentucky Castle in Brittany’s home state and welcomed Cruz in 2021.

Their lavish wedding aired on Vanderpump Rules and their divorce is discussed in the spinoff series The Valley.

The dramatic series follows the couple, as well as Kristen Doute and other members of their friend group, as they juggle married life and parenthood in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.

In February, Brittany announced that they had split on their joint podcast When Reality Hits.

“Jax and I are taking some time for ourselves and I’ve decided to move into a different house to create some space for my mental health,” she said.

She later suggested that the “break” might be temporary, asking her fans to “pray for us,” adding that she believed “everything would be okay.”

In an interview with DailyMail.com she said explained how Cruz’s birth led her to reconsider her marriage to the controversial Vanderpump Rules villain.

“For me, it was just kind of like standing up for myself. Having a child really woke me up and lifted the veil a little bit on what I deserve and what I’m going to go through for the rest of my life,” she said.

“And I just knew I had to… figure out what I wanted to do for my future and create a super positive living situation for my son. That’s all I care about.”

Brittany also opened up in April about how her “sexless marriage” to Jax had reached her “breaking point.” She admitted that they had discussed dating other people during their divorce. She said, “I don’t want to be unhappy for the rest of my life.”

Following her shocking divorce filing, Brittany shared a glamorous photo on social media revealing that she was leaving her marriage behind.

The star posted her photo on Instagram in bright pink and with a gorgeous face of glamorous makeup, captioning the upload: ‘Getting my glow back.’

She appeared to be celebrating her impending divorce by having alcohol delivered to the Los Angeles Airbnb where she was living.

Her wedding ring, which she had not worn in public since June, was missing from her left hand.

Meanwhile, Jax was spotted dining alone at Craig’s in Hollywood, just hours after being served with divorce papers.