Alix Earle Shares What Braxton Berrios Taught Her About Love (Exclusive)

Alix Earle has learned to let go of her reserve in her relationship with Braxton Berrios.

In 2024 ELLEThe 23-year-old attended the Women in Hollywood event in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 19th Hot mess Podcast host spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about her relationship with Berrios, 29, as they celebrated their first anniversary.

“Probably the most important thing I learned about love in this relationship is that I need to let my guard down,” she tells PEOPLE. “I was a bit hesitant at the beginning and fell more and more in love with every experience and every month. Love continues to grow.”

Earle also adds that “allowing myself to love” and “not being so reserved” was a really big thing for me. As a result, her relationship with Berrios “became amazing.”

Earle – who first met Berrios in February 2023 and later officially started dating him in November 2023 – had previously spoken about their relationship in an episode of the series, sharing that she was actually afraid of dating him Hot mess Podcast on October 16th.

“When I met Braxton, I literally thought, ‘The last thing I want is a boyfriend,’ which is why it took me so long to date him,” Alix explained at the time. “So I thought, ‘I don’t want a boyfriend.’ I literally thought, ‘I’m not doing that.'”

However, once she met him, Earle said she realized that Berrios was “just perfect” for her and decided to date him.

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Earle and Berrios celebrated their one-year anniversary together on Instagram on November 11th. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver shared several sweet photos of the couple together and wrote, “My best days are the ones I spend with you.”

“You’re my best friend and you’ve made me feel a way I didn’t know existed,” he continued in his post. “I am so in love with the woman you are and in awe of the person you are becoming…Watching you was inspiring, being with you was fulfilling and loving you is easier than ever.”

Earle also posted a sweet Instagram reel commemorating “a year with my best friend 🫶🏻” and included several photos and videos of the couple from their time together.

“To the person who taught me to love with all my heart…happy year ❣️,” she wrote in the video’s caption. “You have become so much more than my best friend and partner. I didn’t know I was capable of this kind of love and I feel like I’ve truly found my other half! I love you.”