Brittany Cartwright is sharing the private text message she says changed everything.
In an emotional exclusive interview with People, “The Valley” star revealed the exact message she received from former publicist Lori K just hours before TMZ published photos confirming Lori’s relationship with Cartwright’s estranged husband, Jax Taylor.
As Cartwright read the message aloud, she paused several times, admitting the memories still leave her visibly shaken.
“So I actually got a text message from her, Lori Krebs, Lori K PR,” Cartwright began. “I got a text message from her two hours before the photos from TMZ dropped.”
She added that she wanted to set the record straight after seeing what she described as misinformation about how the situation unfolded.
“There’s been a lot of false information saying that she called me, gave me a heads up and that was so nice of her and all that,” Cartwright said. “Nope.”
The reality star then admitted, “I’m like shaking. Bringing all this back up is so hurtful for me.”
Brittany Cartwright Says Lori K Reached Out Before TMZ Published the Photos
According to Cartwright, the text arrived at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, July 13, roughly two hours before the photos became public.
Reading directly from her phone, Cartwright shared that Lori K wrote she wanted Brittany to hear the news from her first because TMZ had contacted her about publishing photos of herself and Taylor together.
Lori’s message acknowledged that the news would be “incredibly shocking and painful” and recognized that Cartwright would likely feel “betrayed,” especially because Lori had supported her and son Cruz during what she described as one of the hardest periods of Cartwright’s life.
At one point in the message, Lori wrote, “I cared very much about you and Cruz then and I still very much do.”
Cartwright stopped reading for a moment, looked up from her phone and repeated one word.
“I cared,” she said, emphasizing the past tense before continuing.
The message went on to say that Lori would “never excuse the way Jax treated” Cartwright during their marriage and claimed that her relationship with Taylor “only developed in the past few months.”
Lori also addressed earlier rumors, writing that when Cartwright had previously asked about them, she said they “weren’t true” and maintained that statement.
Brittany Says Reading the Message Still Leaves Her ‘Shaking’
As she continued reading, Cartwright became emotional again while sharing the portion of the message in which Lori apologized for waiting to tell her.
Lori wrote that she had struggled with how to handle the situation and insisted she had never discussed Cartwright’s personal life, work or private conversations with Taylor in a professional capacity.
She concluded by saying she understood the revelation would permanently change how Cartwright viewed her but felt Cartwright deserved to hear it directly.
After finishing the final line, Cartwright looked up from her phone.
“And that’s how I found out,” she said.
The moment marked one of the most emotional segments of the Bravo star’s sit-down with People, offering viewers a firsthand look at how she says she learned about the relationship before the rest of the world saw the TMZ photos.
