Brittany Cartwright Details Coparenting Relationship with ‘Great Dad, Terrible Husband’ Jax Taylor

While speaking to PEOPLE, Cartwright said that while the pair are prioritizing their three-year-old son, Cruz, amid their contentious divorce, they still have some work to do when it comes to their co-parenting relationship.

“He’s a great dad. Great dad, terrible husband,” The Valley star tells the outlet. “I’m not ever going to take Cruz away from him. We will always put Cruz first and we are going to work towards a healthy co-parenting relationship.”

She continued, “It’s going to take some time. Still, things are very raw between us, but for the most part, I do know if I needed something, if Cruz needed something, I could call him and he would be there for us.”

Cartwright filed for divorce from her husband of five years on August 27, requesting primary legal and physical custody of the former couple’s son.

Shortly after news of the divorce broke, a source told the outlet that the pair are striving to become friendly co-parents and do what’s best for Cruz despite the “tumultuous cycle” they’ve been living in since their split.

“This step has been a long time coming and something Brittany knew she had to do for the best interest of herself and her son in order to move forward and put a stop to this tumultuous cycle they’ve been living in,” the source told PEOPLE.

“Jax is feeling mixed emotions. He knows this is ultimately the right decision but is sad that things ended up the way they have. It’s an emotional month for him and he’s trying to stay strong for his son,” the source added. “Their main priority is getting to a place of being amicable co-parents for their son and this next stop will hopefully move them closer to that goal.”

Cartwright opened up about their split on the former couple’s When Reality Hits podcast, earlier this month, telling fans that her decision to was not one she “made lightly or quickly.”

“It’s taken me many, many years to get to this point where I gained enough courage and strength to do what’s best for me,” Cartwright noted, and “get myself out of a toxic relationship and ultimately see my worth.”

“It’s been very difficult, but I’m stronger than ever,” she said, adding that her “motivation is my son, my Cruzie, who deserves a happy and healthy mommy.”

While Taylor has not commented on the divorce filing, the Vanderpump Rules alum did share an update about his mental health, taking to Instagram to inform his fans and followers that after spending time in a treatment facility, he was diagnosed with both Bipolar Disorder and PTSD. Read more on that here.