Brianna LaPaglia has finally opened up about the effects of her breakup on her mental health.
For those unaware, LaPaglia and her ex-boyfriend Zach Bryan started dating in July 2023, but a year after their relationship, Bryan took to Instagram to announce their separation in October 2024.
The 26-year-old reality television star, podcaster, and influencer chatted with PEOPLE magazine about her experience with her former boyfriend after the completion of season 4 of Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
Voicing her thoughts, she said, “What it’s taught me about myself is how mentally capable I am of truly anything. I don’t find myself saying ‘I can’t’ anymore, which I did a lot on the show, and I don’t find myself doubting myself as much, [either] which is really cool.”
LaPaglia admitted to facing many challenges, be they mental or physical and on the series, she recalled “carrying 90 pounds of chains with a 30-pound backpack up a mountain in Africa in 100-degree weather” and being “waterboarded in Morocco.”
The Project Verified star stated it was a vulnerable moment but an “interrogation” in the third episode connected her with people as she “lost sight” of herself after her separation from Bryan.
“The amount of people reaching out and the messages I received after that episode and the people coming up to me in the street just talking about episode three specifically, I think it made it all worth it. And, it was very therapeutic for me in the same sense,” Brianna LaPaglia said.
