Brittany Cartwright felt like she had no choice but to announce a separation from Jax Taylor, even as they were counting down the days to the premiere of their new show.
Talking with ET’s Brice Sander from the premiere of The Valley on Thursday, the Vanderpump Rules star, 35, said that while she doesn’t want to share what incident exactly was the catalyst for their separation, she thinks fans will see the build-up throughout the season.
“Throughout the season, you’re going to see things here and there and then it just got worse once the cameras went down,” Cartwright said. “I just kind of hit my breaking point and I can only take so much after nine years, you know?”
Worried about sharing specifics, Cartwright told ET that many of their issues go back to things fans of Vanderpump Rules have pointed out in the past, including Taylor’s critiques of her and those she loves.
“I don’t know how much I can give away right now but just like being put down constantly,” she said. “Honestly, I deserve to be lifted up like the queen that I am.”
As for what would lead to a reconciliation, Cartwright says her husband has a list of five things that would need to happen before even considering getting back together. Even so, she says she isn’t sure that is what she wants in the long run and that for now, she is focusing on the most important guy in her life: their 2-year-old son, Cruz.
“I go back and forth. I have my days where I’m like, of course, I would want to be — I have loved him and been through everything with him and stuck by his side through so much stuff,” the VPR alum said. “But how much can one person take, you know? At the end of the day, Cruz is the most important thing in my life and he is what matters.”
As for Taylor, he says that he also isn’t certain as to what the intended outcome of their separation is. Speaking separately from his estranged wife to ET, the 44-year-old House of Villains star plainly stated that while he can understand why some may believe that it’s all a publicity stunt, their struggles could not be more real.
“I want to make it very clear that this is not a publicity stunt. I feel like this would be the most disgusting way to publicize your show, so I want to make that very clear, that’s not what’s going on here,” Taylor said. “People go through tough things in their marriage, we’re trying to figure things out a little bit. But it doesn’t stop us working together, we’re adults.”
He added that they have had “communication issues going on for a while now” and that in spite of those issues, they are still making it work not only for their son, but for the promotion of The Valley.
“It doesn’t affect how we raise our child, it doesn’t affect our jobs — we’re a brand, we do things together, we’re adults,” he said. “We just gotta work on marriage a little bit.”
Just a week after the couple announced their split, ET exclusively confirmed that Bravo had picked cameras back up to capture the fallout from the separation. Season 1 of The Valley wrapped last year and it appears the new footage will air at the end of the show’s debut season.
Watch a trailer for the Vanderpump Rules spinoff The Valley, which also stars Kristen Doute, in the player below:
The Valley premieres on Bravo March 19 and streams the next day on Peacock.
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