Raquel Leviss Says She 'Made a Mistake' by Filming 'Vanderpump Rules' After Her Split From James Kennedy
Raquel Leviss is continuing to tell her side of the story when it comes to Scandoval.
In a preview for the former beauty queen's upcoming podcast, "Rachel Goes Rouge," Leviss, 29 — whose real name is Rachel — made it clear she wished she never signed up to film Season 10 of Vanderpump Rules after her December 2021 split from former fiancé James Kennedy.
"I already made a mistake by returning to season 10. Looking back at that season, I was at my lowest of lows. Filming Vanderpump Rules after breaking off an engagement with James that was my first mistake because I should've taken the time to heal and find a therapist," she explained.
Leviss noted how seeing the "Feeling You" artist, 31, with his new girlfriend, Ally Lewber, was particularly excruciating. "I did the right thing by having a no-contact policy with James, but when we're working together and filming together and he's flaunting his new girlfriend that he met three weeks after I ended the engagement, that hurt," the former reality star added.
"There were so many questions running through my mind like: Did he ever really love me? How is it possible to love someone and then get over them so quickly?" she continued about her relationship with Kennedy, whom she dated for five years. "I was drinking a ton season 10. This is not an excuse. I'm just, point blank, I was not in a good mental space. In knowing that, I'm learning from my mistakes."
Leviss emphasized how upset she was over the breakup, which she said contributed to her decision to engage in a months-long affair with Tom Sandoval while he was still dating her former best friend Ariana Madix. However, her decision to completely leave the show was out of love for the Dancing With the Stars alum, 38.
- 'I Knew It Was Wrong': Raquel Leviss Reveals She First Hooked Up With Tom Sandoval While Ariana Madix Slept Nearby
- Raquel Leviss Refuses To 'Label' Scandalous Relationship With Tom Sandoval: 'I Need Time To Heal'
- Raquel Leviss Claims Tom Schwartz Knew About Her Affair With Tom Sandoval 'Since the Very Beginning'
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"Looking back and seeing how much pain I was in interacting with James on camera and seeing his new girlfriend, I could only imagine the pain I would cause by filming in the same environment with Ariana," the Sonoma State alum noted.
"Being involved with somebody's boyfriend while they're still in a relationship is a huge betrayal and so painful as it is, but then to continue working with these people ... and seeing the person that you loved so much and you thought they loved you just as much as you loved them, be conversing with this other person, it would just be so catastrophic, and I didn't want to do that to Ariana," she continued. "I didn't want to put her in that position."
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When reflecting on her past romance with the Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras rocker, 40, Leviss admitted she messed up. "The story I would tell myself about our relationship that we had, it seemed so special and it seemed so real, but when you look at the cold, hard facts and write them down on a piece of paper and see all of those red flags clear as day, that will break you out of your denial," she said.