'Vanderpump Rules' alum Rachel Leviss reveals how Tom Sandoval manipulated her throughout their affair
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Former 'Vanderpump Rules' star Raquel "Rachel" Leviss revealed that the same thing that "attracted" her to co-star Tom Sandoval—with whom she had an affair for months—is now the reason she knows he was acting like an "a**hole."
The 29-year-old former pageant queen is opening up about how Sandoval allegedly tricked her into not disclosing all the information about their affair when she wanted to be honest, as per Page Six.
Raquel 'Rachel' Leviss reveals the 'biggest way' Tom Sandoval betrayed her
On Thursday, January 25, Leviss responded to fan queries on her podcast, 'Rachel Goes Rogue', specifically addressing allegations that she was largely "emotionless" during the 'Vanderpump Rules' Season 10 reunion.
She noted that the "biggest way" Sandoval deceived her was by secretly recording their infamous FaceTime video, which Ariana Madix eventually found out about, leading to their months-long affair getting exposed in March 2023.
Madix ended her nine-year relationship with Sandoval immediately after making this discovery, as per PEOPLE Magazine.
Leviss noted Sandoval put her in "a really bad position with my friendships, and this placement of being on this international reality TV show [meant] that my reputation was on the line."
She further stated that their affair began at a time when she was very vulnerable, having recently broken up with her fiance, James Kennedy, after five years of dating and six months of engagement.
"He knew I was going through this heartbreak, and I’ve heard him say on his interviews ‘Oh, Raquel really was coming into her own.’ And that’s what attracted him to me," remarked Leviss, adding, "I’m like, 'You a**hole. You could have just let me be. Like, let me live. Why can’t you cheer me on as a friend?'"
Upon being asked why she thought Sandoval had power over her, Leviss explained that at the time, it seemed as though "he was the only person" who stood by her side.
She expressed, "He got me. He understood me. He was there for me in all of this time — or so I believed."
Tom Sandoval apparently instructed Raquel 'Rachel' Leviss to 'stick to a story'
Leviss further revealed that Sandoval told her to "stick to a story" he created about their dramatic encounter to lessen the tension before the 'Vanderpump Rules' Season 10 reunion.
On the podcast, Leviss shared, "The last five minutes of Season 10, you see me break down because I want to come clean and I’m still holding things back because I don’t want to betray Tom because he is the one person I have left."
"In my world, it seemed like he was the only person. He got me. He understood me. He was there for me in all of this time — or so I believed," further said the TV personality.
Leviss eventually opened up about her affair with Sandoval—that he attempted to conceal—which was finally revealed by her when she broke down in a one-on-one interview with producers at the end of the show.
Leviss recounted telling her therapist about how she had "betrayed Tom by telling this truth," to which the latter remarked, "But didn’t Tom betray you first?"
This led the Bravo alum to fathom how the 41-year-old singer had tricked her into lying about the course of their relationship though he knew she "wasn't a good liar."
It was part of what Leviss now perceives as a "manipulative" pattern of behavior, which she admits also affected Madix.
She remarked, "I think that Tom uses Ariana’s mental health against her, and it’s very manipulative and messed up."
Leviss will not be returning to Bravo's 'Vanderpump Rules' Season 11, which is scheduled to premiere on January 30 and follow the other cast members amid the sensational controversy.
