Ariana Madix finally broke her silence following a cheating scandal involving her ex, Tom Sandoval, and another Vanderpump Rules star, Raquel Leviss. The affair ended Madix and Sandoval’s nine-year relationship, and he and Leviss apologized publicly after the public learned of their tryst.
Late Wednesday night, Madix candidly addressed the incident on Instagram, and she expressed gratitude for the support she’s gotten and a warning for those who stand in her way.
“hi. where to begin?” Madix’s caption begins alongside an image of the reality star looking dazzling in a gown.
“i want to express my most sincere gratitude for the outpouring of love and support i have received from friends, family, and people i’ve never even met in the last two weeks,” she continued.
“when i have felt like i couldn’t even stand, you all have given me the strength to continue and seen me through my darkest hours. to say i have been devastated and broken is an understatement,” she continued.
“however, i know that i am not in this alone. so many of my closest friends are also grieving this loss right now and reeling from this betrayal on so many levels,” she went on. “i am so f—ing lucky to have the best support system in the world and i hope i can repay every single person for the love you have shown me.”
“what doesn’t kill me better run. love, ariana,” Madix concluded.
On March 1, Madix found out about the relationship between Sandoval, 40, and Leviss, 28, when she saw an “inappropriate” message on her husband’s phone from Leviss.
Just days later, Sandoval admitted that he had been cheating. He posted a public apology on his Instagram account.
“I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve hurt through this process,” Sandoval wrote. “Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. 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.”
“I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us,” his message continued. “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.”
“My love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could ever have captured,” he also shared. “Some of our best times together were never filmed. The same goes for some of our biggest struggles. I wish things happened in a different order and our relationship was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect for her that it began with. I owed Ariana better.”
“I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did,” the musician wrote in conclusion. “The choices I made hurt so many people. 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.”
Sandoval was not alone in his apology. A day after his statement went live, Leviss also felt the need to issue her own.
“I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships,” she wrote.
“There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana,” she also said.
“I am reflecting on my choices, speaking to a counselor and I am learning things about myself such as my patterns of codependency and addiction to being and feeling loved,” she admitted. “I have sought emotional validation through intimate connections that are not healthy without regard for my own well-being, sometimes negatively affecting others and often prioritizing the intimate connection over my friendships.”
We don’t imagine either of these public apologies will heal the damage already caused, but it was a mature and responsible thing to do, given the circumstances.
“what doesn’t kill me better run,” Madix said and we believe her.