Taylor Frankie Paul is showing the “ugly side” of “healing” after resolving her recent domestic violence dispute with ex-girlfriend Dakota Mortensen.
“Here’s the ugly part of what healing really looks like. Anyone who knows me knows that I acknowledge my parts, my flaws, my shortcomings. I know it’s different. We’ll get there,” the “Secret Life of a Mormon Wife” star wrote on Instagram on Sunday.
Paul posted a mirror selfie on a merry-go-round. One photo shows her shirt pulled up to show her stomach, and the other photo shows her hair disheveled.
“The further public brutality I experienced not once, but twice, was ultimately the price of my freedom. I would never wish this on my worst enemies or even those who publicized it,” the caption continued.
The reality TV star admitted she still has “a long way to go” but said she’s “forever out of some kind of living hell,” apparently referring to her previous relationship with Mortensen.
“Metaphorically speaking, someone saw me bleeding and poured salt all over me…somehow I’m still here…”
Paul, 31, went on to thank everyone who has supported her and Mortensen “even without a full explanation” about her situation.
“…After waiting seven weeks, I received a phone call saying all my charges would be reduced on exactly the seventh day,” she said. “We’re working on eating, moving, resting, and retraining my nervous system. I’m going to share that process, because if I’m going to share my worst, I might as well share my rebuilding process.”
Her emotional post came days after Utah State Police completed an investigation into several domestic violence cases involving her and Mortensen.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office on April 14 declined to file new charges against Paul, citing “evidential issues” in the investigation led by Draper and West Jordan police, according to a press release.
Regarding the West Jordan investigation, the prosecutor’s office claimed that “the complainants in these cases reported several incidents, some of which occurred more than three years ago.”
However, misdemeanors that allegedly occurred more than two years ago are “barred by the statute of limitations.”
The statement goes on to point out in particular that the charges against Paul “do not rise to the level of criminal offences.”
“The remaining cases lack sufficient evidence to support criminal charges, and the state must be able to prove such allegations beyond a reasonable date. Such cases lack specificity as to when, what actually happened, or substantiation,” the message reads.
Paul made headlines last month after he temporarily halted filming on Season 5 of SLOMW as he was being investigated for domestic violence allegations against Mortensen.
Days later, her season of The Bachelorette was canceled by ABC after a disturbing video of a domestic violence incident between her and her ex-boyfriend was leaked.
In the 2023 footage, she attacks Mortensen with a chair in front of her now 8-year-old daughter Indi.
Then, on March 25, it was revealed that Paul was the subject of a third domestic violence investigation led by the West Jordan Police Department, in addition to two ongoing investigations by the Draper, Utah Police Department.
Although recent charges against Paul were dropped, she is still embroiled in a bitter custody battle with Mortensen, 33, after he filed for a protection order against her in court.
Mortensen was granted temporary custody of her 2-year-old son, Ever.
Paul is now allowed to have “supervised” visits due to concerns about the toddler’s “erratic” behavior.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
