Raquel Leviss updates Instagram bio to say she's working on 'becoming a better person' after leaving Vanderpump Rules
Raquel Leviss has updated her Instagram bio in the wake of her departure from Vanderpump Rules in the wake of the 'Scandoval' cheating scandal that has made headlines since March.
Leviss, 28, captioned her page to more than 617,000 followers, 'Becoming a better person… one day at a time.'
Leviss, who has a background in beauty pageants, has apparently unfollowed Tom Sandoval, 41, who she was romantically involved with for a time, leading to his parting from Ariana Madix, 38, after nine years together.
Leviss, who delivered a revealing interview with Bethenny Frankel podcast last week, was confirmed to have exited the Bravo series by Entertainment Tonight Thursday.
'Rachel will not be returning for season 11 of Vanderpump Rules,' a source told the outlet. 'There was a possibility up until recently she'd be returning for the new season, but ultimately decided against it.'
The latest: Raquel Leviss, 28, has updated her Instagram bio in the wake of her departure from Vanderpump Rules in the wake of the 'Scandoval' cheating scandal that has made headlines since March. Pictured in October of 2022
Leviss, 28, captioned her page, 'Becoming a better person… one day at a time.'
The source said that Leviss did not want to be upset amid a potentially toxic atmosphere awaiting her on the show following the scandal.
'Rachel is focused on her mental health journey and knew going back to the show would open her up to trauma she's been working on healing,' the source said. 'Rachel is looking forward to what the future holds for her.'
Leviss' interview on the Just B with Bethenny Frankel podcast last week marked the first remarks she had made about the cheating scandal with Sandoval since the Bravo show's 10th season reunion had been broadcast this past June.
She made a number of jarring allegations in the interview, claiming that Sandoval took an 'intimate' clip without her consent from FaceTime; and that she had not seen any extra money from Bravo since the lucrative scandal erupted earlier this year.
Leviss in the chat with Frankel said that she and Madix 'were not best friends,' which she thinks has been a 'narrative' that has circulated amid the controversy to make it 'more salacious.'
Leviss said she and Madix 'were acquaintances who became friends through the show,' and that they 'never' hung out when they were not working on the Bravo series.
Leviss clarified that she felt that Madix had always been 'very sweet' to her, but stopped short of classifying their friendship as close.
'She would stand up for me and encourage me to pursue whatever I was, I don't know … pursuing,' Leviss said. 'And that was all great - but we never had, like, a deep conversation that I would have with a best friend.'
Speaking on her relationship status whereas Sandoval is concerned, Leviss said that her hindsight is that their romance was little more than a fleeting fling.
Leviss' interview on the Just B with Bethenny Frankel podcast last week marked the first remarks she had made about the cheating scandal with Sandoval
She made a number of jarring allegations in the interview with Frankel
Leviss said she can 'look back on it and see that I was not in love with him,' and that she didn't 'believe that he was truly in love with me either.'
Sandoval provided a 'non-judgement zone' which Leviss said she had 'needed in that moment' following her split with fiancé James Kennedy in late 2021.
Leviss in the chat did not explicitly reveal her status for the 11th season of Vanderpump Rules, indicating that she wasn't excited about facing the storm in the upcoming season of the show.
She said if reality TV producers: 'They always dangle that carrot in front of you, like, "Well, you need to tell your side of the story otherwise it's gonna be written for you." And that's terrifying.'
Leviss said she 'almost went back' to the show 'just because of that.'
