Tom Sandoval and Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.Photo:River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Rachel “Raquel” Levissis setting the record straight about her decision to leaveTom Sandovalwithout any “closure.”
On Tuesday’s episode of herRachel Goes Roguepodcast, theVanderpump Rulesalum, 29, responded to her former flame and costar’s recent claims about the end of theirmonths-long affair.
In a conversation withThe New York Times Magazinepublished last week, Sandoval, 40, discussed how he had become “the most hated man in America” after the duo made headlines for hiding their relationship behind the back of his partner of nine years,Ariana Madix.
Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval and Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.Tammie/AFF-USA/Shutterstock; Cindy Ord/Bravo via Getty Images; Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images
Tammie/AFF-USA/Shutterstock; Cindy Ord/Bravo via Getty Images; Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images
Among the claims made about the fallout, the Bravolebrity said he had gotten sober for Leviss and assumed the two would be together after sheleft the mental health facilityshe checked herself into amid the scandal. Despite his hopes to reunite, Sandoval revealed that the former beauty queen went radio silent and never returned his calls.
“She never even gave me any closure, it was really hard. It still messes with me," he said before the outlet noted in the piece, “He even tried reaching out through her publicist but got no response.”
On her podcast, Leviss admitted she remembered the phone call the Schwartz and Sandys co-owner referred to in the article and explained why she chose not to answer his calls.
Rachel “Raquel” Leviss and Tom Sandoval.Vivien Killilea/Getty
Vivien Killilea/Getty
“He was really trying to get me on the phone and said he had important info and he would only shareit if I was on the phone,” she said. “Obviously that’s manipulative and that conversation was wild, but I didn’t respond because I’m trying to stay in reality and I know his priorities are the show.”
Leviss added, “It even got so confusing for me when I was hanging out with him.”
The former reality star noted how fans have begun to notice howVanderpump Ruleshas “affected Tom and his reality.”
“Now they’re saying like, ‘Oh, Tom should take a year off. He needs to process through this,’ and I’m like, yeah, people like that’s why I didn’t come back,” she continued. “But I think other people are starting to see that too.”
Tom Sandoval on ‘Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen’.Charles Sykes/Bravo
Charles Sykes/Bravo
Upon publication, Sandoval faced fierce backlash for his review theNYT Magazineafter he invokedO.J. SimpsonandGeorge Floydas comparisons for the media attention he received for the scandal.
“I’m not a pop-culture historian really," he said. “But I witnessed the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd and all these big things, which is really weird to compare this to that, I think, but do you think in a weird way it’s a little bit the same?”
Shortly after angering viewers and Black Bravo stars alike, heissued an apologyin a statement shared with PEOPLE.
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Vanderpump Rulesairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. All episodes can be streamed on Peacock afterwards.
source: people.com
