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Raquel Leviss, 28, and Tom Schwartz, 40, made headlines last summer when they were spotted making out at Scheana Shay and Brock Davies‘ Cancun wedding. Now, an interview in which Tom claimed that Tom Sandoval, 39, made him do it has resurfaced. “Oh my God. [Sandoval] made me do it. I didn’t want to do it. He’s like, ‘If you don’t do it, you’re a wussy… He steamrolled me,” Schwartz told ET Canada at the Vanderpump Rules Season 10 premiere in February.
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The eyebrow-raising remark was brought to light just two days after Stassi Schroeder said he believes Raquel and Schwartz’s Season 10 storyline was a “cover-up” for the affair that was ongoing between Raquel and Sandoval as he was dating Ariana Madix, 37. The cheating was made public last week and led to the demise of Ariana and Sandoval’s nine-year relationship. “It sounds like something that Sandoval would have come up with,” she theorized on the March 8 episode of her Straight Up With Stassi podcast. “He would be like, ‘This would be a great way to cover up.’ It’s a cover-up.”
Raquel Leviss and Tom Schwartz had a brief fling in Aug. 2022 (Photo: Shutterstock)
She also noted that Shwartz’s ex, Katie Maloney, thought something was off about his interest in Raquel. She even claimed that Katie, who was in the middle of a divorce from Schwartz, thought they “hurt” her “for a story.” Nothing ever came of their Mexican love sessions, and it was only brought back into the spotlight once Sandoval was outed as a cheater.
He and Raquel both apologized to Ariana this week for hurting her so deeply. “I want to first and foremost apologize 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,” Tom wrote in a lengthy statement he shared on his Instagram feed on March 8. “No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.”
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“I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us,” the Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner continued. “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 have ever captured. 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 with for her that it began with. I owed Ariana better.”
“I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did. The choices I made hurt so many people,” he added, nearing the end of his apology. “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.”
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Tom Sandoval’s Cheating Scandal: Everything To Know About Ariana Madix Split & Raquel Leviss Affair
Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix dated for nine years before breaking up in March 2023 (Photo: Shutterstock)
Raquel followed up with an apology to Ariana — who she supposedly considered a friend — on March 9. “I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships,” Raquel told Entertainment Tonight in a statement. “There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana.”
“I am reflecting on my choices, speaking to a counselor and I am learning things about myself such as my patterns of codependency and addiction to being and feeling loved,” she continued. “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 then seemed to seek sympathy by saying that she, too, has been hurt by the affair because she had lost friendships and was allegedly physically assaulted as a result of it. She concluded that she has already started counseling to help her fix her underlying issues that drove her to hurt those close to her. “Right now I must focus on my own health and well being and as I strive to be a better person moving forward, I will prioritize my mental health and learn from my mistakes,” she concluded.
Ariana has yet to address her heartbreak publicly but is reportedly leaning on some of her Vanderpump Rules co-stars Katie Maloney, Lala Kent, and Scheana Shay, and former VPR star and Tom’s ex Kristen Doute for support.
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