Since confirming her split from Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright has been fairly open about their coparenting dynamic and shared commitment to their 4-year-old son, Cruz Michael Cauchi. The Valley cast member shed more light on her new chapter in a recent interview with Us Weekly, explaining how she managed to expand her career while raising a young child and navigating a divorce.
Brittany admitted the situation wasn’t always been easy, especially when her work required her to be away from Cruz for more than a few days. Case in point: her recent appearance on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test — a competition series in which celebrities endure grueling military-style challenges that test their bodies and minds.
“The food, the heat, all that stuff was super hard,” Brittany said about her experience. “But for me, it was [that] I had never left my son that long… You’re by yourself there. So that was really difficult for me, because I’ve never ever been gone from Cruz more than two or three days on a work trip. And if it’s [longer], he travels with me. So that was definitely the longest time I’d ever been away from him. That was really hard.”
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Brittany Cartwright sheds light on her life as a working mom
Special Forces Season 4 found Brittany competing against well-known figures within the entertainment industry and sports world. This year’s cast featured a handful of Bravolebrities, including The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa Giudice; her eldest daughter and Next Gen NYC cast member, Gia Giudice, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Eva Marcille. The season was filmed for approximately two weeks in Morocco, about 6,000 miles away from Brittany’s home in the Valley.
“The best thing ever was coming back home, and with Cruz’s autism, I just really wanted to make sure he knew that I was coming back and that I was going to be there,” she explained. “I FaceTimed him any chance that I got. That was, like, super important for me. I brought a photo of him with me and stuff like that. But he was happy to see me when I got back. He’s my little baby, even though he’s so big and he’s 4.”
Brittany Cartwright closes another career chapter
Brittany’s Special Forces journey was short-lived. During the September 25 Season 4 premiere, the Kentucky native threw in the towel after just one day. Brittany said the challenges were simply too difficult, and she had a feeling she would be the first one out.
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“I just wanted to show [Cruz], like, even if things are scary, you can still try,” she explained. “It was just something that I thought I should try to see what I could do and really push myself with everything I’ve been through, all the ups and downs in my life lately. I just really wanted to see what it would be like.”
Get the latest on Brittany’s new role as a single working mom and her budding romance with Brandon Hanson.
