Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss APOLOGIZES to Ariana Madix after kissing Tom Sandoval ON CAMERA

Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss has apologized to Ariana Madix amid the cheating scandal involving her longtime boyfriend Tom Sandoval which has claimed to have occurred on camera.

The 28-year-old reality star issued a statement to Entertainment Tonight as she not only apologized to Madix, 37, but also revealed that she has begun counseling to end her ‘unhealthy behavioral cycle’ just a day after Sandoval, 39, issued a groveling apology. 

Leviss said: ‘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. There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana.’

She went on to say that she has sought out professional help in the hopes she could break the cycle of relationship dysfunction.

Leviss explained: ‘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. 

‘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 went on allege that though she is well-aware that she signed on to be part of the cast of a Bravo reality show, she has fallen out with her social circle, received death threats, and even claims to have been physically assaulted.

Leviss said: ‘Although I chose to be on a reality show accepting the good and bad that comes with it, beyond my own actions I have been physically assaulted, lost friendships, received death threats and hate emails in addition to having had my privacy violated.’

The beauty pageant queen finished off her message by declaring that she is in the midst of seeking professional help and is hoping to be the best version of herself at the end of all of this.

Leviss concluded: ‘The I have begun counseling to end my unhealthy behavioral cycle, learn to set stronger emotional boundaries and learn to protect my mental health. I don’t expect sympathy, understanding or forgiveness. 

‘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.’

Just a day earlier tar Sandoval apologized for cheating on Madix in a statement he issued Tuesday evening, days after her name was omitted from his first public comment on the matter.

Sandoval, 39, who was caught cheating on Madix, 37, with Raquel Leviss, 28, took to Instagram with a detailed statement after receiving blowback in the wake of his affair coming to light.

‘I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process,’ he said. ‘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 in publicly.’

He continued: ‘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 family and friends.’

Sandoval said his ‘love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could have ever captured’ and some of their ‘best times together were never filmed.

He added: ‘The same goes for some of our biggest struggles. I wish things happened in a different order in our relationship was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect for her that begin with. I owed Ariana better.’

Sandoval wrapped up in saying, ‘I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did. The choices I 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.’

In other developments, Sandoval was snapped heading to therapy on Tuesday, amid reports he took his first onscreen kiss with Leviss following his split.

Sandoval was seen at a Los Angeles office that is ‘home to many therapy and psychotherapy offices,’ insiders told TMZ Tuesday, noting that he spent about two hours inside.

Sandoval was pictured donning a black leather jacket with dark fleece lining, over a dark blue shirt with black pants and white sneakers. 

He wore a black hat and black sunglasses and sported a mustache while holding onto his keys and his phone on the daytime outing. 

The source told the outlet that the meeting wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for the reality star restaurateur, who ‘was in therapy long before this scandal’ in which his longtime relationship with Madix crumbled after it was revealed he had cheated on her with Leviss.

In related news an insider told Page Six on Tuesday that Sandoval and Leviss ‘kissed on camera’ for the Bravo series amid their ‘complicated’ relationship while filming at Leviss’ apartment in North Hollywood, California on Saturday.

Sandoval’s outing came a day after Andy Cohen on Monday said he suspects there could have be something going on between Sandoval and Leviss as far back as last fall, during festivities at BravoCon in New York City in October.

The Bravo host-producer, 54, speculated on the timeframe of the affair – in which Sandoval cheated on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix – on his Radio Andy show Monday on SiriusXM, as details of the fallout made headlines.

He noted that amid the ‘reverberating’ scandal, video captured at the event indicated that Madix – and Leviss – were watching Sandoval intently as he played with his band at the event in the Big Apple.

Cohen noted that the answers Leviss gave earlier this month on his show Watch What Happens Live, during a quiz sketch with with Scheana Shay, 37, provided an insight into the way she viewed the restauranteur-musician.

‘We played a game called the BFF test,’ Cohen said. ‘I read a statement and both guests answer at the same time and we see if their answers match. I said, “Who’s the cuter Tom: Sandoval or Schwartz?” And they both said Sandoval.’

Cohen said that he did not expect Leviss’ answer to be Sandoval, based on rumors of romance between her and Schwartz that circulated last year.

‘I looked up and said to Raquel, “Oh you said Sandoval, hmm,” and then we moved on,’ Cohen said. 

The answer even caught Shay off-guard, according to Cohen, as ‘Scheana’s antenna was up’ following the revelation from Leviss.

‘I’m going through my cards and … Scheana said to Raquel, “You know, I only picked Sandoval because I knew that you were gonna pick Schwartz,”‘ Cohen recalled. ‘And Raquel said, “Well, Sandoval has abs,” and kind of shrugged.

‘So, you know, that was interesting. And again, I didn’t think twice about it.’

Cohen said that he contacted Shay about the aforementioned discussion over the weekend as the cheating story went public.

‘I DM’d Scheana over the weekend and I go, “What was that conversation that you guys had about that BFF test?”‘ he said. ‘I thought it was odd.’

Cohen noted how Bravo should re-air that episode, and an episode of WWHL that featured Sandoval and Schwartz that aired last month, noting that ‘there was some odd energy between’ the business partners during the appearance.

‘Schwartz was looking to Sandoval the entire time, almost for guidance on answers,’ Cohen said. ‘So the big question is: When did Schwartz find out about this?’

Sandoval said in an apology he released on Instagram Sunday that Schwartz was not in the know about the affair until recently, and disapproved of it once he knew the truth. 

‘Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions,’ said Sandoval.

Amid the heat of the scandal, Sandoval asked viewers of the show to keep their anger over the situation aimed at him instead of his family, friends and business associates.

‘Hey, I fully understand an deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation,’ he said. ‘Also, Schwartz & Sandy’s might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families.’

He continued: ‘Just like TomTom, I’m a small part of a much bigger thing. Please direct ur anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong. … I will be taking a step back & taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees & partners.’

In the wake of the affair going public, neither Leviss or Madix have commented on the events, and Madix has also deleted her Instagram account.

In another related twist to the situation, sources told People Monday that Bravo producers have been in contact with Sandoval ex Kristen Doute, 40, about a potential return to the program.

‘Vanderpump Rules producers have approached Kristen to come back on the show to talk about’ the situating involving Sandoval, Leviss and Madix,’ a source told the outlet adding that Doute has ‘had her fair share of ups and downs with Sandoval over the years, but right now she’s completely supporting Ariana.’

Doute was fired from the series in 2020 (along with Stassi Schroeder) amid a racism controversy involving former costar Faith Stowers.

Doute was pictured on Tuesday headed to the home Madix and Sandoval shared as cameras rolled on the popular show, to support her friend Madix. 

She was pictured wearing a gray sweater with the phrase ‘Rock & Love’ on the back with a gray plaid top and black leggings and black sandals. She donned brown sunglasses and wore her dark locks down and parted on the sunny day in Southern California. 

Doute took to Instagram Stories with a clip in which she said she was ‘completely exhausted’ by the scandal and the attention surrounding it. 

Doute was critical of Leviss amid the report that she kissed Sandoval on camera, ‘but her narrative from her crisis PR [team] is that she’s now fired because they said she didn’t know any better.’

She added, ‘Pick a lane b****, and  make that lane be not in the United States … bye girl, bye.’