Brittany Cartwright has found comfort in her new relationship with Brandon Hanson as both navigate their respective divorces, according to a source close to the situation.
The Valley star’s new relationship comes at a time when both are experiencing similar life changes. “Like Brittany, he is going through a divorce, and he and his ex have been separated for the past seven months,” the insider tells PEOPLE. “They reconnected well after he had already been separated.”
The two have found comfort in each other during their personal transitions.
“The two have found comfort in each other as they’ve been navigating their respective divorces and personal life changes,” the source adds.
Social Media Drama Emerges
The relationship update comes after Hanson’s estranged wife Jasina Stanko called him out on social media.
In the comment section of a TikTok featuring photos and headlines about the new couple’s date night, Stanko claimed, “He’s my husband!!!” She added in another comment, “That man is married.”
When one fan asked, “U dated him too?,” she replied, “I married him. You know him?”
Co-Star Approval
On August 21, Cartwright brought Hanson to Narwal’s End of Summer Soirée in Los Angeles. Her costar Kristen Doute told PEOPLE at the event that Hanson is “very much approved of.”
“She has someone in her life that’s really amazing that I am head over heels for. She’s dated people during her single years since her ex-husband [Jax Taylor], and I have not approved of them. They’ve been fine, but not wonderful. This person is very wonderful and very cool. Very family-feeling.”
Doute emphasized that Hanson being a father makes the relationship easier.
“He’s a dad, so it makes it really easy,” she added. “A lot easier and understandable.”
Asked whether the pair are serious, Cartwright teased, “We’ll see.”
Focusing on Personal Growth
Cartwright says she’s prioritizing herself during this new chapter. “I’ve been through so much. I feel like I’m in such a better place than I was last year.”
“I want to focus on me,” she added. “I just want to have fun with my friends, have fun with my baby [Cruz] and just do fun positive things because I’m so past the drama that I had for so long in my life, and I feel like I’ve grown so much and I’ve changed so much.”
She’s ready to leave her past behind.
“My outlook on everything with that toxic situation I was in has changed dramatically. So I’m excited to just have fun and explore this new me. Let go of the dead weight, let go of the drama and just enjoy my life and my family and my friends.”
Moving On From Jax Taylor
The television personality separated from Jax Taylor in February 2023 and officially filed for divorce that August.
Cartwright told PEOPLE in April that she had been on a “couple dates here and there” since her split from Taylor but hadn’t found anything serious yet.
She knew what she was looking for in a new relationship.
“I deserve to have butterflies again,” she said. “I just want somebody to be nice to me, and that’s sad. I just really want somebody to take me on dates. It doesn’t even have to be anything fancy. Something sweet, something small, will make my day.”
“I’m also just wanting to have some fun, until I do find that right person again,” she said. “I got to make sure that it’s somebody that loves kids. That’s something that’s very important to me.”
