Owning his faults. Tom Sandoval is speaking out — again — following his split from Ariana Madix amid his affair with Raquel Leviss.
“I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process. Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana,” he wrote in an Instagram statement on Tuesday, March 7. “I made mistakes, I was selfish and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.”
The Vanderpump Rules star 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 families and friends.”
Us Weekly confirmed on Friday, March 3, that the bartenders called it quits after nine years of dating due to Sandoval’s infidelity. Bravo fans have followed along with the now-exes since 2014.
“My love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could ever have captured,” Sandoval wrote in his apology. “Some of our best times together were never filmed. The same goes for some of our biggest struggles.”
The TomTom co-owner told fans that he wished his history with Madix “was not severely tarnished,” adding, “[I wish] it ended with the same respect for her that it began with. I owed Ariana better.”
Sandoval asserted that he felt “beyond sad” that his romance with the Florida native “ended the way it did” and owned up to his mistakes. “The choices I made hurt so many people,” he wrote. “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.”
The musician previously addressed the backlash against his businesses after news broke of his cheating scandal, but his initial statement didn’t mention Madix, who wiped her social media presence amid the drama.
Leviss, for her part, has not spoken out publicly about her affair with Sandoval. However, the beauty queen reportedly sent a legal notice to several of her Vanderpump Rules costars regarding an intimate FaceTime call between her and Sandoval, claiming that she was unaware that the video was being recorded. (Madix allegedly found the video on Sandoval’s phone, which prompted the duo’s breakup.)
As the dust continues to settle around the Bravo scandal, fans are wondering what the future will hold for Sandoval and Leviss. A source exclusively told Us that the costars’ connection is “the real deal.”
“They have confided to pals that it’s love and they have fallen hard for each other,” the insider said, adding that the affair wasn’t “a regrettable fling” for either reality star. “It’s no excuse for what they did and the people they hurt, but they see a long-term future together. Only time will tell if their bond can survive the backlash.”
