VANDERPUMP Rules alum Rachel Leviss has revealed she was in a dark place after her affair with Tom Sandoval came out, but he allegedly discouraged her from getting treatment.
The former Bravo star sought treatment at a mental health facility after receiving intense backlash over her months-long affair with Tom, 40, who was dating Ariana Madix, 38, at the time.
Since quitting VPR last year and distancing herself from her ex-co-stars, Rachel, 29, turned to podcasting to share her side of the story.
She did just that on Friday’s episode of her podcast, Rachel Goes Rogue, when the host opened up about the moment she believed Tom didn’t have her best interest at heart.
During the episode, the ex-reality star read a journal entry from her three-month stay at The Meadows in Wickenburg, Arizona, which she voluntarily checked into for treatment.
In it, Rachel claimed that Tom “manipulated” her and had her under his “love spell,” making it hard for her to break away.
TOM SAID WHAT?
She also said that the Schwartz and Sandy’s co-owner tried to distance her from her family by insisting that her mother was “gaslighting” her.
“My mom has ulterior motives, he says. He tries to talk me out of treatment. ‘They’re going to brainwash you. There isn’t such a thing called love addiction,'” Rachel read.
“‘This place is a last-ditch effort. Extending is a bad idea. You are becoming dependent on this place.’ He calls me selfish for staying.”
The former TV star alleged, “I shared with him that I was having really dark thoughts, and I told him I was extending two more weeks. And he said that that was a bad idea.
“And I said, ‘I’m scared if I come out of what might happen if I’m having these dark thoughts.’ He said, ‘That’s still a bad idea. I’ve been having to rough it out here alone.'”
The U.S. Sun reached out to Tom’s rep for a comment.
Vanderpump Rules’ Raquel Leviss shades Tom Sandoval as she sells off items from affair including lightning bolt necklace
Rachel also said getting treatment made her realize who the Tom Sandoval and The Most Extras frontman really was.
“I feel like I’m very thankful that I’ve had this experience to go in and get mental health care and intense trauma therapy because, without it, I would have remained under Tom’s spell,” the ex-TV personality admitted.
“This is towards the end of my journal. So it took me all of this time to get to this point where I was like, ‘Oh my god. He is always playing the victim role. He is switching the script on me to manipulate me and to control me,'” Rachel claimed.
Rachel took a stand against Tom and his ex Ariana in February when she filed a lawsuit against the former couple for “spreading explicit videos of her without consent.”
I shared with him that I was having really dark thoughts, and I told him I was extending two more weeks. And he said that that was a bad idea.
Rachel Leviss
She referred to the racy video of her that Ariana found on Tom’s phone, which ignited the scandal.
In the filing uncovered by Deadline, Rachel claimed she was “subjected to a public skewering with little precedent and became, without exaggeration, one of the most hated women in America.”
It also noted that Rachel “suffered in silence” while VPR ratings soared and her castmates received “unseen levels of public recognition and professional opportunity.”
Neither Tom nor Ariana have publicly responded to the lawsuit.
Rachel has not appeared in Season 11 of VPR, though the scandal is still discussed among the remaining cast members.
However, fans might be over what was dubbed as Scandoval as viewership took a massive dive.
Earlier this month, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed that the spinoff, Vanderpump Villa, streaming on Hulu, will ultimately replace VPR.
The series follows Lisa Vanderpump and 12 “world-class staff” as they give guests of Chateau Rosabelle, Lisa’s French countryside estate, a “once-in-a-lifetime, Vanderpump-curated experience.”
The U.S. Sun previously reported that Season 10 of VPR was supposed to be its last, but the affair prevented the show from being canceled.
If you or someone you know needs help or support for their mental health, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected with a certified crisis counselor.