Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Kaitlynn Carter is reflecting on her romance with Miley Cyrus.
The 31-year-old television personality explained in an essay for Elle published Monday how her relationship with Cyrus helped her discover her sexuality.
Carter, who was friends with Cyrus before they dated, said she fell for the singer fast and hard over the summer. Carter and Cyrus vacationed together in Europe following their respective splits from Brody Jenner and Liam Hemsworth.
"I didn't have to think about a thing or overanalyze. It just happened and it felt exactly right," Carter said of falling for Cyrus. "Reflecting back on our three-year friendship, I realized I'd always been drawn to her in a way I wasn't with other friends, but until that trip it had never crossed my mind to think of her in a romantic sense."
Carter said she didn't realize she was capable of loving a woman the way she loved Cyrus. The romance made her question why and how she had been "programmed" to ignore her obvious attraction to a woman.
"While it was short-lived, I'll remain eternally grateful to my most recent relationship for opening my eyes to this unexplored part of myself, and for inspiring a new level of self-discovery and wonder at all the possibilities of life," Carter wrote.
"Although the relationship with my friend was often referenced in the media as merely a 'summer fling' or a 'same-sex affair,' it was so much more than that. This was a profound journey of self-discovery," she said.
Carter, who appeared with Jenner on The Hills: New Beginnings, she's "still exploring and figuring out" her sexuality and doesn't want to label herself.
Carter and Cyrus split in September after a brief romance. Cyrus has since started dating singer Cody Simpson.
