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Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix broke her silence about her longtime boyfriend Tom Sandovalcheating scandal on March 16, two weeks after discovering the affair. Ariana, 37, began her statement on Instagram by thanking her fans for their support after learning that Tom, 39, cheated on her for months with their co-star. Raquel Leviss, 28. “I want to express my deepest gratitude for the love and support I have received from friends, family and people I have never even met over the past two weeks,” she wrote. “When I felt like I couldn’t even stand, you all gave me the strength to carry on and saw me through my darkest hours.”
She then addressed the situation head on, adding, “To say I was devastated and broken is an understatement. However, I know that I am not alone in this case. So many of my closest friends are also mourning this loss right now and reeling from this betrayal on so many levels. I am so ****** lucky to have the best support system in the world and I hope I can thank everyone for the love you have shown me. What doesn’t kill me is better to run.
Ariana and Tom had been dating for nine years before news broke on Friday March 3 that Tom was having a months-long affair with Raquel, who ended up with Tom Schwartz last year after her divorce from Katie Maloney. Ariana reportedly only found out about Tom Sandoval’s affair on March 1, 2023, when she found an intimate video of Raquel and an “inappropriate text history” on Tom’s phone. As the cheating scandal became public, Ariana briefly deleted her Instagram account and relied on the likes of Katie, Lala Kent, Scheana Shayand even old VRP star Kristen Doubted (who was dating Tom) for the support.
Amid the cheating scandal, which has been dubbed the “Scandoval,” Bravo resumed filming the show to capture the reaction from the entire cast, and the scenes will be part of Season 10 which is currently airing. A person close to the production revealed to Page 6 that Ariana and Tom opened up about her affair on camera at their $2 million Valley Village home, but Ariana “walked away from the conversation feeling like she’d been gassed by Tom.” Apparently, Tom told Ariana he was worried about how the case “would impact her mental health.” The insider added, “Ariana recapped what happened with her friends and castmates, the majority of whom are disappointed. Tom seems unable to take responsibility for his actions or express any substantial remorse. “
It didn’t take long for Tom to address the scandal on social media. On March 5, he apologized to his Schwartz & Sandy’s bar and restaurant family – including co-owner and co-star Tom Schwartz – for any harm he may have caused by his actions. “Hey, I completely understand and deserve your anger and disappointment with me, but please keep Schwartz my friends and family out of this…” the reality star said. “Schwartz only discovered this very recently and certainly did not condone my actions. It was a very personal thing.”
Tom added: “Also Schwartz & Sandy’s might have my name on it, but there are also 3 other partners and 20 employees, who are particularly dependent on the restaurant for their income and that of their families. … Please direct your anger at me and not at them. They did nothing wrong. He ended his statement by announcing that he is “taking a break out of respect” for his employees and partners and that he “needs time” before addressing the rest of the damage he has caused.
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