Raquel Leviss spent 90 days in a mental health facility to gain insights into her attraction to unavailable men. During an episode of Bethenny Frankel’s podcast, “Just B,” Leviss shared that she wanted to understand her behaviors and why she repeatedly found herself in unhealthy relationships. She acknowledged that her broken engagement to James Kennedy in December 2021 had a lasting impact on her, which eventually led to her having an affair with Tom Sandoval. Seeking treatment for her mental health allowed Leviss to gain an understanding of why she gravitated towards “unavailable” men.
Leviss admitted that she was still healing from her breakup with James Kennedy and was consumed by heartbreak and a desire to fulfill certain needs. Looking back, she realized that she hadn’t fully recovered from her previous relationship, and this contributed to her reliance on alcohol to cope with anxiety during filming. While Sandoval was involved in a nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix, Kennedy was single but faced accusations of infidelity. Leviss also had a brief fling with Tom Schwartz, who was not yet divorced from Katie Maloney.
After her affair with Sandoval was exposed, Leviss made the decision to check into a mental health facility in March. Although it was a daunting choice, she recognized her need for help. Initially, it was challenging for her to open up due to the shame she carried from the affair, but as time went on, she felt more comfortable sharing her story authentically. Leviss received support and understanding from her peers during her stay at the facility.
In addition to being more compassionate towards herself, Leviss acknowledged her love addiction and forgave herself for her actions. She described love as addictive and explained that it was the reason she couldn’t break away from the person she had the affair with. However, she also recognized that this explanation didn’t excuse her behavior and emphasized that she has learned from her experience.
Leviss realized that her connection with Sandoval went beyond love. She felt seen and heard by him, which was something she hadn’t experienced with others in the cast or in her personal life. Although she clarified that she wasn’t in love with Sandoval, she acknowledged that he provided the validation and understanding she needed during a tumultuous filming period.
In her first interview since the explosive Season 10 reunion, Leviss claimed that she hasn’t received any financial compensation from the network. She expressed frustration with the situation, stating that the network is profiting from the scandal while she has not been included in Season 11 filming.
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Raquel Leviss’ 90-day stay at a mental health facility helped her figure out why she’s attracted to men who are not available.
“The other part of the reason why I wanted to go to a treatment facility was to understand my behaviors, and my goal was to really get down to the bottom of OK, why am I choosing men that are unavailable? Why do I keep finding myself in unhealthy relationships?” she said on Bethenny Frankel’s podcast, “Just B,” Wednesday.
The “Vanderpump Rules” star recalled that she knew she “needed to make a change,” but she first had to determine “what it was that leads to those behaviors.”
Leviss, 28, added that looking back, she was still struggling with the aftermath of calling off her engagement to James Kennedy in December 2021, and that played a part in her eventually having an affair with Tom Sandoval.
“I was completely wrapped up in heartbreak and wanting to get certain needs met,” she said. “Looking back now, I can see that I was still healing from a relationship from somebody who I thought I was going to marry and in ending that, I still hadn’t healed yet, so when I was filming I was drinking a lot to ease that anxiety.”
While Sandoval, 41, was in the midst of a nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix when he began seeing Leviss, Kennedy, 31, was single — although he faced a myriad of cheating allegations over the years. The former beauty queen also shared a few smooches with Katie Maloney’s not-yet divorced husband, Tom Schwartz, last summer.
Leviss eventually fled Los Angeles and checked into a mental health facility in March after her months-long affair with Sandoval — dubbed Scandoval — was exposed.
“It was a really scary decision to make because I knew I needed help, but I didn’t know what to expect going in,” she said of the facility — which she left last month.
The Bravolebrity admitted that it was initially “difficult” for her to open up since she was “already carrying so much shame” from Scandoval.
“But as time went on, I was able to warm up and really share my story in an authentic honest way, and I was met with grace and compassion from my peers,” she added.
Leviss said that in addition to learning to be more “compassionate” towards herself, she also forgave herself and accepted that she has a “love addiction.”
“[Love] is addictive, and it explains why I couldn’t stop seeing this person, but it also doesn’t excuse the fact that it happened, but now I know better,” she shared.
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The reality star also came to the realization that despite thinking she and Sandoval were both in love with each other at the time, it was something deeper within herself that caused her to have the affair.
“We had this connection that I felt seen and heard by him that I haven’t really had that connection with other people on the cast nor people in my real life,” she began.
“So I was filming in a tumultuous environment, I was needing some validation and somebody to hear what I was going through, and here comes along Tom, who really gave me that time of day to share my side of the story in a non-judgment zone — and that’s exactly what I needed in that moment,” she recalled.
Elsewhere in Leviss’ first interview since the explosive Season 10 reunion, she claimed that she has “not seen a single penny” from the network — who is “laughing, running to the bank with this scandal.”
“Vanderpump Rules” began filming Season 11 in July, but Leviss has not been spotted participating in any scenes with the cast.
