Brittany Cartwright is opening up about the "hardest year" of her life amid her separation from Jax Taylor.
The Valley cast member appeared on the November 11 episode of Bravo's Hot Mic podcast, where she discussed her decision to file for divorce from the Vanderpump Rules alum.
"I have to do it now while I'm feeling strong," she told producer and host Alex Baskin about why she filed in August 2024 while Jax was still in treatment for mental health-related issues.
Several videos from the podcast were posted on the official Bravo Instagram page, and Brittany elaborated on why she wanted to share her story in the comments section.
"This has been the hardest year of my life and this is just part of my story. At the end of the day I am learning as I go and trying to be a strong as I possibly can for my son," she wrote in her comment. "I hope I can help other women who go through things like I have gone through, to find their strength because it's no where near as easy as it looks."
In another, Brittany reiterated that she is "so glad some of [her] story is finally being shared."
"There is so much more to come and at the end of the day I just pray I can help other women in a situation like what I’m going through," she added.
Why are Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright splitting?
Brittany announced her decision to separate from the former SUR bartender on the February 29 episode of their shared podcast, When Reality Hits with Jax and Brittany.
She filed for divorce in August, as Jax spent time in in-patient treatment for his mental health. Brittany has opened up about what led to the split — from communication issues to wanting a better dynamic for their son — in the months that have followed.
"I think it's been very obvious much I loved him and how hard I tried to work on our relationship," Brittany told PEOPLE in September 2024. "I wanted to make sure I did every single thing I could possibly do to give it a chance and to try for my family, for my son [Cruz Michael Cauchi], for my future, but I couldn't do it anymore. I had to put myself first."
