Exсlusіve: Brіttаny Cаrtwrіgһt Is ‘Proud’ of How ‘Strong’ Sһe Hаs Beсome Amіd Her Dіvorсe From Jаx Tаylor

They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and Brittany Cartwright is showing some serious strength these days amid her divorce from Jax Taylor.

“I feel very strong right now,” The Valley star, 35, exclusively tells Life & Style. “I’m really proud of myself for how strong I have been this year. And I don’t know. I just kind of, like, am trying to put myself first a little bit.”

Brittany adds that her and Jax’s son, Cruz, “is always going to come before anything” else. However, she feels “good” since she started “doing things for me,” including her recent AirSculpt procedure to tackle problem areas that were affecting her confidence.

“Even with this AirSculpt, like, I wanted to do this for me, and I wanted to feel better and get my confidence back for me. Mental health is so important and I just was not myself for so long,” the Vanderpump Rules alum continues. “So right now, I’m just like in this ‘girl power, doing everything on my own, just feeling good about myself’ kind of mood and I love it.”

Brittany filed for divorce from Jax, 45, after five years of marriage in August, Life & Style confirmed. She cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split and listed their date of separation as January 24. The mom of one asked for primary custody of Cruz, 3, with Jax getting visitation rights. She waived seeking spousal support in her filing.

Jax responded to the filing with his own paperwork on September 26. However, his handwritten documents included conflicting information about the legality of their marriage, according to the court docs obtained by In Touch. The former SUR bartender checked two boxes in the paperwork, with one stating that he and Brittany were married. On the other hand, Jax also checked the box that stated that “the parties never legally married or registered in a domestic partnership.”

The reality star also incorrectly listed their date of separation as the date of the filing, September 26. Brittany poked fun at the mistakes in an Instagram comment on October 3, writing, “We are legally married. I’m guessing paperwork is hard for some people.”

Jax explained that he made “errors” while “filling out forms that are usually done by trained legal professionals” and ensured that they would be “amended without delay,” the estranged couple’s rep told Us Weekly on October 2.

The rep also noted that Jax and Brittany had already worked out an agreement over custody of Cruz.

“Jax and Brittany have already long resolved all matters related to custody of Cruz, and will continue to work together privately for the best interest of their son, which remains their overriding concern,” the statement continued.

Brittany announced that she and Jax were separated back in February during an episode of their “When Reality Hits” podcast.

“Many of you guys have been asking me about Jax and I and our relationship. I just think it’s important to be real and honest with you guys because we’ve shared so much of our lives with you guys,” she said. “On my last podcast I alluded to many marriages go through rocky times. Yes, marriages in general are very hard and I’ve had a particularly rough year this past 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.”