Brittany Cartwright is embracing her new chapter.

Following her breakup from estranged husband Jax Taylor—with whom she shares 3-year-old son Cruz—last year, the 36-year-old enjoyed a brief romance with one of her ex’s friends. And for her, it was a relationship that helped her find herself again.

“I love that everyone is like, ‘You were dating Jax’s friend,’” Brittany said to E! News in an exclusive interview, before clarifying, “No, no, no, we were hooking up a little bit, but like I feel like he was somebody that helped me get my confidence back and helped me feel wanted. Because after a relationship where I was like put down and mistreated for so long, he was somebody that really brought me back to life.”

As for where she and Jax’s pal stand these days, she continued, “I’m thankful for that part of it, but I haven’t talked to him in a long time. That’s been over for a while, but I’m not dating anybody.” (For more with Brittany, tune into E! News tonight, April 15 at 11 p.m.)