Briana LaPaglia speaks out after ‘Dark Places’ exclusive about her public breakup

Brianna LaPaglia is stronger than she looks.

The 26-year-old influencer, podcast host, and reality star just successfully completed Season 4 of Fox’s Special Forces: The World’s Toughest Test and sat down with PEOPLE to talk about her experience.

“What this has taught me about myself is how mentally capable I really am of anything,” she says. “I don’t say ‘I can’t’ anymore,” which I used to say on the show, and I don’t doubt myself as much anymore, which is really great.

During the series, LaPaglia recalled that she was exposed to numerous physical and mental challenges, including “climbing a mountain in Africa in 100-degree temperatures with a 30-pound backpack and 90-pound chain on her back,” and “being waterboarded in Morocco.”

But it was the vulnerable moment from the third episode, “Interrogation,” that LaPaglia said seemed to connect with viewers the most. The influencer opened up about her breakup with country artist Zach Bryan in 2024, telling the show’s production staff agent that she “lost myself” and “didn’t want to be here anymore” during that time.

LaPaglia told PEOPLE that while it was “definitely tough” to look back on the episode, she is very proud of herself.

“I think it was all worth it considering how many people reached out to me after that episode, got messages, came up to me on the street and told me about episode three,” she says. “And in the same sense, it was very therapeutic for me.”

After their breakup last October, LaPaglia discussed her relationship with Brian on an episode of the BFF podcast, claiming that he had been emotionally abusive to her. LaPaglia also claimed that she asked Bryan to sign an NDA and offered her $12 million and a New York apartment not to “discuss the relationship.”

Brian’s representatives did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment at the time. Brian has never publicly addressed the abuse allegations.

When asked if she thought the Special Forces helped her regain her voice, LaPaglia said, “I never signed it, so I don’t think I lost it,” referring to the alleged NDA.

“So, actually, I don’t think this is taking anything back. It’s just being true to who I am and how I’ve always been online,” she continues.

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“This is Bri. This was me five years ago when I started social media, before I went through all of that, before anyone knew about that relationship,” she explains. “So, at my core, I’m just me, and that year, that dark place I was in, and that relationship wasn’t me. So, if anything, I’m the only one moving forward.”

In addition to co-hosting the podcast BFF with Josh Richards, the influencer also rebooted her podcast, PlanBri Uncut, this time as a solo effort after previously co-hosting with Grace O’Malley.

“It’s a very safe space, not just for me, but for everyone who listens to it,” she says. “It’s definitely changed a lot compared to before. I’ve been through different levels of stupidity: my party days, my college days, TikTok, my relationships. It’s been so many different things, but now this is my favorite part, or my journey that I shared with the world when I was only 26 years old. I’ve been through everything that I’ve done publicly and just been an honest voice among a lot of people who don’t think social media is appropriate right now.”

“I think it’s hard to find someone who is truly authentic, through the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. That’s exactly what I want PlanBri to be and what it is. So I was really happy to bring it back.”

BFF and PlanBri are available wherever you get your podcasts.