LOS ANGELES — “Vanderpump Rules” stars Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss have issued lengthy statements apologizing to Sandoval’s longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix after an affair scandal ended their nine-year relationship and rocked the internet this week, likely causing long-term effects on their Bravo reality series.
Rumors began swirling last week of a monthslong affair between Sandoval and Leviss, who star alongside Madix in the long-running “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” spinoff.
According to People, Madix discovered Sandoval had been cheating on her with Leviss after finding a recording of a FaceTime call and “inappropriate” messages between them on Sandoval’s phone last Wednesday. By Friday, Sandoval, 39, and Madix, 37, had called it quits on their closely watched relationship, the magazine reported.
A source close to the production told People that “cameras are rolling right now,” so the breakup will be shown in Season 10, which is currently airing on Bravo.
The internet was set ablaze by the explosive revelation, likely prompting Sandoval to address the love-triangle fallout over the weekend with a plea to his followers and former fans. The Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras frontman implored them to leave his restaurant Schwartz & Sandy’s Lounge, family and friends out of “this situation” and asked for “some time to address everything else.”
That time was up on Tuesday night when he apologized to “everyone I’ve hurt through this process.”
“Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly,” he wrote Tuesday on Instagram. “I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends.
“My love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could ever have captured,” he continued. “Some of our best times together were never filmed. The same goes for some of our biggest struggles. I wish things happened in a different order and our relationship was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect for her that it began with. I owed Ariana better.”
Sandoval added that he is “beyond sad that it ended the way it did” and acknowledged that the choices he made “hurt so many people.”
“I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be. I will continue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do. I always have, and I always will,” he concluded.
Leviss, 28, followed suit on Wednesday, describing her actions as part of an “unhealthy behavioral cycle” in her introspective statement.
“I want to apologize for my actions and my choices to Ariana, my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships,” she said in a statement posted on her Instagram account. “There is no excuse, I am not a victim and must own my actions. I deeply regret hurting Ariana.”
Leviss added that since the alleged affair came to light, she has been reflecting on her choices, speaking to a counselor and “learning things about myself such as my patterns of codependency and addiction to being and feeling loved.
“I have sought emotional validation through intimate connections that are not healthy without regard for my own well-being, sometimes negatively affecting others and often prioritizing the intimate connection over my friendships. I am taking steps to understand my behavior and make healthier choices,” she said.
Despite willingly partaking in a reality TV series, Leviss said that her privacy had been violated as a result, that she had been physically assaulted, lost friendships and received death threats and hate emails. But, she added, she does not “expect sympathy, understanding or forgiveness” and plans to learn from her mistakes as she prioritizes her mental health.
Leviss’ statement comes a day after she filed for a restraining order against another co-star, Scheana Shay, a close friend of Madix, signaling legal ramifications that could call into question how a planned “Vanderpump Rules” reunion episode would take place. According to TMZ, unconfirmed rumors suggested that Shay “allegedly got violent with Raquel [Leviss] over her and Tom’s cheating scandal.”
Madix has not yet publicly commented on the scandal or her co-stars’ subsequent statements. Us Weekly reported that she deactivated her Instagram and Twitter accounts last Friday after reportedly deleting photos of Sandoval.
In the earlier statement Sandoval posted on his Instagram account, the “Superstars” singer said that his business partner Tom Schwartz only recently found out about the alleged affair and “did not condone my actions.”
“Please direct ur anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong. Im so sorry that my partners, Greg, Brett, and Schwartz and our employees have to suffer for my actions. I will be taking a step back & taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees & partners. I need some time to address everything else.”
Sandoval, Schwartz, Madix and Leviss have long appeared on the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” spinoff, which debuted in 2013. In its early seasons, the series focused on the restaurant staff at Sur, the West Hollywood establishment run by “RHOBH” star Lisa Vanderpump. While several cast members have moved on from the restaurant, the show still follows their antics, woes and scandals.
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