Brittany Cartwright shared the perils of motherhood. The Valley star revealed why her life will look slightly different in Season 2. It’s not because of her separation from Jax Taylor. For the first time, Cartwright opened up about her son Cruz’s diagnosis. Up until this point, only their family knew about it.
Sharing Cruz’s Diagnosis
Before the show’s premiere, Cartwright spoke to PEOPLE about her three-year-old son, Cruz. Six months ago, he was diagnosed with autism. Cartwright learned about his diagnosis when she noticed he stopped speaking before his second birthday. This matter was addressed in the first season of the Bravo series.
“He crawled early, he walked early,” Cartwright explained. “He was talking, he was saying, ‘Mommy,’ ‘Daddy.’ He was saying, ‘Hot Dog!’ from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Then, as he got closer to 2, we started noticing that he was regressing in his speech. He stopped talking almost completely.”
In the show’s first season, Cartwright and Taylor hired a speech and occupational therapist, but they couldn’t get any answers about Cruz’s speech issues. Cartwright has learned that Cruz is autistic and nonverbal. But there are times when he will “sporadically say different words,” such as “Mommy.” Cartwright revealed how “difficult” it is not to hear her son say, “I love you” all the time.
However, Cruz displays his love through his actions. Cartwright shared that Cruz “is such a mommy’s boy.” He received his diagnosis in the fall after they finished filming the second season of The Valley, which premieres on Tuesday, April 15. It will follow The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which is wrapping up Season 14.
READ THIS: The Valley will deliver more soapy drama in Season 2.
A New Reality
Cartwright and Taylor were “expecting” this diagnosis. Hearing it from Cruz’s doctor made this more “real.” Cartwright told PEOPLE that things are “going to look a little bit different.” She doesn’t question her mission to be Cruz’s mother. In fact, it brought them closer together.
“He is my better half. He is my little partner in crime. He is everything to me, and even though he can’t talk, I know everything that he wants, everything that he needs. We’re just so synced, it’s incredible,” Cartwright said. Right now, her focus is on “early intervention.” She set up a sensory room for Cruz, along with a swing set and pool that’s safe for him to use. Cruz still has weekly speech and occupational therapy sessions.
Cartwright loves seeing the world through Cruz’s eyes. He just “sees the world much more vibrant and amazing than any of us ever will,” she noted. Also, he expresses himself differently. “There aren’t any limitations to what he can do,” the Vanderpump Rules alum exclaimed. She has been educating herself on autism. She even watched Netflix’s show Love on the Spectrum, which gave her hope for Cruz’s future.
“It is the sweetest show. They’re so positive; the way they look at life is just so full of joy and happiness, and if Cruz is anything like that, I will be so happy. I hope he falls in love one day,” Cartwright said.
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